THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

PRESENTED  BY 

PROF.  CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 
MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


lAn^l     "^ 


RAMBLES  IN  AMERICA, 


PAST     A^D     PRESENT. 


BY 

ALFRED    J.    PAIRPOINT. 
it 

AUTHOR    OF    "UNCLE    SAM   AND    HIS   COUNTRY. 


With  !Uu0t*ati0n0  fry  pi**  g.  p. 


I  prize  the  Past  much,  but  the  Present  more !  " 


BOSTON : 

ALFRED    MUDGE    &    SON,    PRINTERS, 

No.  24  FRANKLIN  STREET. 

1891. 


-3-0  V 


COPYRIGHT, 


ALFRED  J.  PAIRPOINT. 


THIS   WORK 

IS  AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED 

ig  %  ^tttfrrr 

TO  HIS  BELOVED  SISTERS, 
ALL   OF   WHOM  HAVK  EVER  ENCOURAGED   HIM  IN  HIS 

LITERARY   EFFORTS, 
OF   PAST  AND   PRESENT   MEMORIES. 


THE  AUTHOR'S  ADDRESS  TO  HIS  READER, 


IN  dotting  down  these  rambles  by  the  wayside  of  America, 
the  writer  had  the  twofold  object  in  view,  that  of  uniting 
amusement  with  instruction  to  his  readers,  and  in  a  pleasant, 
conversational  way  has  endeavored  to  describe  sights  and 
scenes,  by  river  and  land,  of  this  wonderful  continent,  at 
which,  during  a  course  of  years,  he  has  been  personally 
present ;  at  the  same  time,  to  relieve  the  volume  from 
monotony,  has  introduced  into  these  sketches,  anecdotes  of 
place  and  character  in  many  phases,  whenever  and  wherever 
they  were  to  be  met  with  during  the  sojournings  of  the 
author. 

In  the  concluding  chapters  of  this  book,  a  three-months' 
trip  to  England,  Ireland,  and  Scotland  is  described  in  a 
cursory  manner,  which  may  prove  interesting  to  people  of 
all  nationalities  who  love  reading  of  past  and  present  events. 


M315969 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS. 


PART    I. 

PAGE 

New  Bedford,  Mass. .        .  9 

New  Bedford  Whaling  Wharf  (Illustrated}      .        .        .        .  11 

Portuguese  Masquerade 16 

Cruise  from  New  Bedford  to  Philadelphia.     (Illustrated')       .  *2 

Gay  Head.     Camp-Meetings  at  Martha's  Vineyard  ...  25 

"  City  of  Columbus  "  Shipwreck 28 

Nantucket  and  Siasconset 30 

Cod-Fishing  at  No-man's  Land 38 

American  War  Ship  ' '  Kearsarge  " 40 

President  Harrison  at  Newport          .        .        .    .    .        .        .  43 

The  British  North  American  Squadron  at  Newport  Harbor     .  46 

Dorchester,  Mass.,  Revisited.     (Illustrated')    ....  48 

Lynn,  Mass 52 

Pirates'  Dungeon  Cave,  near  Lynn    ......  54 

Harvard  College,  Cambridge,  Mass 55 

Early  Settlement  of  Plymouth,  Mass 58 

Provincetown,  Cape  Cod 60 

Hyannis  and  Sandwich       ........  65,  67 

Cape  Cod  Canal 68 

Falmouth  and  Onset  Bay 70,  72 

President  Cleveland's  Wife,  Marion,  Mass 73 

Taunton,  Mass.,  Revisited 74 

Squabetty,  and  its  Myriads  of  Fish.     (Illustrated)  ...  77 

The  Insane  Asylum  at  Taunton 80 

Taunton's  Great  Celebration  of  June  4,  1889    .         .         .         .  83 

Providence,  R.  1 87 

Gorham  Manufacturing  Company,  Providence  ....  90 

The  Cotton  Centennial,  Pawtucket,  1890 99 

State  Prison  of  Hhode  Island 102 

Railway  String  Teams  of  Horses,  Providence.    (Illustrated')   .  106 

The  Falstaff  Club 107 

Hunt's  Mills,  East  Providence  Centre 108 

American  Religion ;  its  Observances Ill 

Meriden,  Conn 113 

New  Britain,  Conn 118 

Battle-Flag  Day  at  Hartford,  Conn 119 

Wetherstield  Prison,  near  Hartford 121 

The  Lady  of  the  Rock,  Connecticut 124 

Waterbury,  Conn.,  the  "Brass  City  " 127 

The  Family  Cat,  "Mitey."    (Illustrated) 131 


Vlll  TABLE    OF   CONTEXTS. 

IT. 


PAGE 

Montreal  Carnival  Week,  January.  1885  .....  135 

Down  the  St.  Lawrence  to  Quebec    ......  136 

Return  up  the  St.  Lawrence      .......  138 

Lake  Ontario,  its  Cities,  and  its  Thousand  Islands  .         .        .  139 

Niagara  Falls      ..........  141 

The  Niagara  Suspension  Bridge        ......  144 

Capt.  Webb's  Fate  at  Niagara"  .......  146 

New  York  Revisited   .......  .149 

East  River  Suspension  Bridge  .......  152 

New  York  Confidence  Men  and  their  Victims  ....  157 

Coney  Island.  1^82,  1888,  18j89  .......  153 

The  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  Central  Park       .        .        .  163 

American  Peculiarities.     (Illustrated)       .....  164 

Surprise  Parties  in  America  .  .  .169 

Country  Boarding-Houses  ........  174 

Divorces  in  America  .        .        .  .     ......  175 


III. 

Baltimore,  the  "Monumental  City" 180 

Washington  and  its  Capitol 181 

The  White  House  at  Washington 183 

Mount  Yernon.     Washington's  Tomb 183 

A  Trip  to  a  Tobacco  Plantation 185 

Culture  and  Manufacture  of  Tobacco.     (Ittnstrattd)       .         .  186 

Railway  Trip  to  Philadelphia 191 

Girard  "College 194 

The  Deluge  at  Johnstown.  Penn 

The  Mammoth  Cave  of  Kentucky 198 

From  Boston  to  Chicago    .                 206 

The  Stockyard 217 

Alleghany  "Mountains 220 

The  Steamships  •'  City  of  Rome,'"  ••  Austral,"  and  ••  Devonia."  222 

The  Prince  of  Wales  and  Mr.  Gladstone  in  Edinburgh    .        .  886 

The  Prince  of  Wales  and  Family  at  the  Forth  Bridge      .         .  227 

Dublin  and  Cork 222,  223 

London  and  its  Environs 834 

The  English  Coast ...  886 

Places  of  Interest 237 

Henley-on-T  names 242 

Richmond  Park  and  Kew  Gardens 243 

Sheffield  and  Birmingham 244,  245 

Westminster  Abbey 247 

New  River  Company,  London,  England 249 

Across  the  Atlantic.    Queenstown  to  New  York   (lUmstrated)  250 


RAMBLES   IN   AMERICA. 


PART    I. 


New  Bedford.  Mass. 

HAVING  been  located  some  five  years  or  more  in  Southern 
Massachusetts,  gave  the  narrator  many  opportunities  to  study 
its  people,  and  notice  the  various  surroundings  of  town  and 
country  life.  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  is  situated  on  Buzzard's 
Bay,  and  noted  for  its  picturesque  inner  and  outer  harbors. 
The  city  of  New  Bedford,  and  the  town  of  Fairhaven  on  the 
opposite  shore,  some  thirty  years  ago  were  the  great  empo 
rium  of  whaling  interests ;  vessels  of  all  sizes  and  tonnage 
used  to  come  and  go  all  the  year-  round.  The  homeward- 
bound  ships,  laden  with  whale  oil  and  bone,  returning  after 
a  successful  cruise,  was  always  a  jolly  time  for  the  officers 
and  crew,  but  the  outward-bound  vessels  oftentimes  left  the 
port  with  sad-hearted  sailors,  just  parted  from  their  wives 
and  little  ones,  for  a  separation  of  a  three  or  four  years'  voy 
age,  while  the  younger  and  more  light-hearted  seamen  trusted 
in  a  good  catch  of  whale,  and  their  share  of  oil  money, 
earned  by  the  dangerous  calling. 

The  Sunday  previous  to  a  whaling  ship  going  on  her  mis 
sion,  a  religious  service  is  generally  held  on  board,  by  the 
chaplain  of  the  Seamen's  Bethel,  praying  for  the  mariners' 
safe  return.  To  enumerate  the  numerous  hair-breadth  es 
capes  of  these  hardy  toilers  of  the  sea  would  fill  many  a 
volume  :  suffice  it  to  say,  lucky  owners  of  vessels,  captains 
and  mates,  and  some  few  seamen,  have  made  large  sums  in 
their  successful  ventures  of  long  cruises  of  whate-hunting. 
At  the  present  time,  whaling  ships  are  somewhat  scarce  at 
the  port  of  New  Bedford,  oil  being  found  in  large  quantities 


10  KAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

in  other  regions  on  land.  The  Pennsylvania  oil-wells  have 
taken  the  place,  in  most  part,  of  whale  oil,  and  their  product 
is  unsurpassed  in  clearness  and  brilliancy,  though  the  quality 
of  good  sperm-whale  oil  is  much  favored  by  some  buyers, 
though  .of  more  expensive  character.  Quite  a  sight  it  is  to 
see  a  weather-stained  and  battered  whaling  vessel  arrive  in  the 
harbor  (surrounded  by  sailing  craft  of  all  sizes),  with  flags- 
and  streamers  flying  from  the  mast-head  down  to  the  deck, 
the  jolly  Jack-tars  nearly  crazy  with  joy  on  nearing  home 
and  those  they  love,  after  their  long  absence  on  such  danger 
ous  business. 

New  Bedford  Whalers. 

When  a  whaling  vessel  is  sighted,  outside  or  in  the  inner 
harbor,  the  tk  sharkers,"  as  they  are  termed,  put  off  in  sail 
boats  to  meet  the  ship  and  board  her,  and,  if  possible,  help 
the  sailors  to  spend  their  hard-earned  moneys,  by  the  pre 
tended  solicitude  for  -'poor  Jack's"  welfare,  in  advancing 
notes,  etc.,  at  enormous  interest,  till  the  seamen's  pay  is  set 
tled  at  the  owner's  or  agent's  office.  Why  the  captains, 
owners,  or  local  authorities  do  not  protect  these  sailors  from 
the  u  sharks  "  of  their  hard-won  money,  is  a  mystery  difficult 
to  solve,  for  many  people  in  New  Bedford  and  elsewhere 
have  fattened  on  their  victims'  dangerously  earned  wages. 
And,  while  the  system  is  a  disgrace  to  the  community  where 
it  exists,  the  corruptive  influence  over  the  poor  deluded  gulls 
of  seamen  makes  them  reckless  and  improvident,  and  often 
times  they  spend  their  little  all  in  riot  and  drunkenness, 
ending  occasionally  in  suicide,  or  shipping  again  to  sea  for 
another  long  voyage,  maybe  with  curses  on  their  lips  for 
those  that  helped  them  off  again  !  But  we  are  informed  that 
within  these  last  few  months  the  Marine  Board  has  taken 
more  interest  in  the  sailors'  affairs,  and  protected  them,  in  a 
manner,  from  the  greed  of  the  "sharkers,"  by  an  enactment 
made  and  provided,  that,  to  a  great  extent,  prohibits  this 
usury  of  the  Jack-tar's  money.  We  trust  that  this  humane 
protection  will  continue  in  the  seamen's  favor,  on  the  return 
from  their  hazardous  voyages  of  whale  fishery. 

In  instancing  the  danger  and  suffering  of  seamen,  in  the 
risks  of  whale  hunting,  we  may  cite  that  of  the  whaler  ship 
44  Napoleon,"  which  sailed  from  New  Bedford  in  February, 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 


11 


1885,  with  thirty-six  men  and  officers,  for  the  polar  seas. 
The  following  5th  of  May  they  reached  Cape  Navarin,  when 
the  vessel  was  crushed  between  some  icebergs,  and  the  ill- 
fated  mariners  had  to  take  to  the  boats,  when  most  of  the 
survivors  were  either  drowned  or  died  of  exhaustion  on  land 
ing  among  the  humane  tribes  of  friendly  Indians.  Mr.  J. 
B.  Vincent,  a  native  of  Martha's  Vineyard,  the  only  survivor 


NEW  BEDFORD  WHALING  WHARF. 

(a  young  man  of  strong  physique) ,  in  his  narrative  tells  of 
his  adventures  among  the  native  Esquimaux  of  those  bitter 
regions  of  ice  and  snow,  during  the  two  long  years  of  exile  ; 
how  kindly  he  was  treated  by  the  natives,  until  finally  res 
cued  by  an  American  revenue  cutter. 

The  sufferings  and  hardships  of  these  unfortunate  whale 
hunters  in  the  arctic  regions,  when  shipwrecked,  are  often- 


12  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

times  very  severe  and  fatal ;  in  this  instance  of  the  crushing 
of  the  ship  "  Napoleon,"  they  were  unusually  so.  The  first 
officer  of  this  unfortunate  vessel  was  a  native  of  New  Bed 
ford,  and  a  friend  of  the  writer  of  this  book,  and  for  two 
anxious  years  his  young  wife  and  relatives  were  in  ignorance 
of  his  fate,  till  the  time  of  the  rescue  of  Mr.  Vincent. 

The  illustration  of  the  whaling  ship,  just  returned  from  a 
long  cruise  in  the  polar  seas,  whale  hunting,  back  to  the  port 
of  New  Bedford,  is  a  faithful  representation  by  the  artist ; 
and  the  unloading  of  the  numerous  barrels  of  sperm  oil  and 
cargo  .of  bone  is  a  scene  often  witnessed  on  the  quays.  The 
wharves  at  the  foot  of  Union  and  William  Streets,—  in  fact, 
all  that  section  along  the  river's  front  is  generally  crowded 
with  whale  oil,  awaiting  sale  and  shipment.  The  effluvia 
arising  from  so  much  of  the  product  of  the  whale  is  very 
powerful,  and  has  somewhat  of  a  sickening  character. 

The  battered  whaling  vessel  of  many  storms,  after  deliver 
ing  its  cargo,  is  subject  to  numerous  repairs,  necessitated  by 
its  three  years'  voyage,  and  the  sails  are  drying  in  the  brisk 
wind,  previous  to  overhauling.  Some  years  ago,  a  large  fire 
took  place  on  these  wharves,  of  oil  and  bone,  and  great 
alarm  was  fell  for  the  safety  of  the  town,  by  the  inflammable 
nature  of  the  conflagration ;  but  the  superior  and  well- 
equipped  fire  department  has  hitherto  been  able  to  cope  with 
fires  of  all  magnitude,  by  the  prompt  responding  to  calls  and 
the  zeal  and  activity  of  its  officers  and  men. 

'T  is  a  sight,  in  summer  time<  to  see  the  big  business  of 
the  Old  Colony  Railway,  in  their  excursiou  season,  bringing 
many  thousands  of  visitors  and  tourists  from  all  parts  of 
the  Union,  to  the  steamboat  piers  of  New  Bedford,  en  route 
to  Martha's  Vineyard  and  other  points  along  the  coast.  Bos 
ton  and  Providence  send  their  quota  of  travellers  to  this 
favored  locality  of  starting-place  of  the  highway  ocean  travel. 

New  Bedford  has  some  fine  residences  ;  many  sea  captains 
and  owners  of  vessels  have  built  their  houses  and  retired 
into  quiet  life  here,  and  the  elegant,  commodious  dwellings 
to  be  found  in  this  old-fashioned  town  are  not  surpassed  in 
the  State  ;  while  the  wealth  in  the  city  is  very  large,  many 
of  the  leading  inhabitants  being  millionuaires.  And  though 
the  natives  and  residents  are  a  good  deal  wrapped  up  in 
themselves,  and  form  a  kind  of  clique  in  their  society  of  one 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  13 

another,  yet  there  is  occasional  kindliness  of  manner,  mixed 
with  their  reservedness  towards  new-comers. 

The  most  commanding  thoroughfare  is  County  Street, 
where  the  yards  and  garden  grounds  are  cultivated  with 
great  care  and  luxuriance  by  many  of  the  proprietors  of 
these  fine  residences  ;  the  avenue  of  sturdy  shade  trees  make 
this  locality  popular  in  the  hot  season.  A  ramble  along 
Hawthorn  Street  and  its  suburbs,  leading  into  the  woods  and 
dells  of  the  countryside,  is  delightful  in  the  extreme,  andr 
though  the  falling  of  the  leaf  is  a  somewhat  saddened  sea 
son,  in  its  perennial  decay  of  vegetation,  it  yet  has  a  charm 
of  its  own  in  the  myriads  of  beautiful,  variegati-d  leaves  of 
every  hue,  shape,  and  color.  County  Street,  within  some  few 
years,  has  added  a  noble  sacred  edifice  to  its  number,  that 
of  "  New  Grace  Church,"  an  Episcopalian  structure  of  archi 
tectural  beauty :  an  excellent  chime  of  bells  was  placed  in 
position  in  the  belfry  tower,  a  generous  gift  of  a  New  Bed 
ford  citizen. 

The  most  prominent  of  recently  built  residences  is  that  of 
Mr.  John  D.  Mandells  (Hawthorn  Street)  ;  the  man}'  gables 
and  tall  chimneys  of  the  quaint  building  remind  one  of  the 
old  English  country  mansions.  The  house  is  built  of  curi 
ous-shaped  rock  masonry,  while  the  low  wall  that  surrounds 
the  grounds  is  constructed  of  peculiar  cobble-stones.  This 
modern- antique  structure  is  said  to  have  cost  a  large  sum  in 
the  erection. 

The  Wamsutta  Mill,  at  the  north  end  of  the  city,  is  one 
of  the  largest  in  the  United  States  ;  its  chief  staple  article 
of  manufacture  is  white  cotton  cloth,  and  is  known  all  over 
the  world  for  its  superiority  and  durability  of  texture.  In 
passing  through  the  different  sections  of  the  building,  the 
noise  is  most  deafening,  by  the  constant  rattle  of  the 
machinery  and  whirr  and  noise  of  the  myriads  of  running 
gear  and  spindles.  A  very  noticeable  feature  is  the  com 
paratively  small  number  of  mill  hands  employed  in  a  build 
ing  of  its  size,  and  standing  on  several  acres  of  land,  while 
one  beholds,  apparently,  so  few  men,  women,  and  <iirls 
attending  to  the  feeding  of  the  machines  ;  though,  in  reality, 
we  were  informed,  some  twelve  hundred  hands  were  en 
gaged  there  in  daily  toil,  before  the  new  wing  addition  of 
buildings. 


14  KAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

The  same  might  be  said  of  the  companion  mill,  called 
"The  Potomska,"  at  the  south  end  of  the  city;  both  are 
fine  business  emporiums,  giving  work  to  many  —  at  small 
wages,  it  is  true,  but  as  high  as  Fall  River  and  elsewhere. 
The  close  atmosphere  of  these  mitts  has  a  sickening  effect  to 
a  visitor  ;  the  extremely  high  temperature,  made  necessary  for 
the  cotton-working,  must  be  very  trying  to  the  employees' 
health.  In  Fall  River  (the  city  of  mills),  when  passing 
through  the  town,  one  fine,  warm  day,  it  was  surprising  to 
see  thousands  of  mill  hands,  of  both  sexes,  leaving  their 
work  at  six  o'clock  (evening),  for  home,  most  of  them  shiv 
ering  along,  beshawled  and  bundled  up,  on  leaving  the  heated 
rooms,  as  if  it  was  midwinter,  instead  of  summer  time. 

New   Bedford,  Mass.,  1890. 

Of  the  new  business  premises  of  retail  store  trade,  erected 
of  late  years  to  the  present  date,  many  might  be  mentioned ; 
from  dilapidated  shanties  of  old-fashioned  stores  and  ancient 
dwellings,  lofty,  red  brick  blocks  of  buildings  have  taken 
their  places.  A  stranger  to  New  Bedford  could  scarcely 
credit  that  such  fine,  expensive  structures  would  possibly 
pay  for  the  erection,  considering  the  size  of  the  city.  The 
suburbs  of  this  city  have  also  got  the  building  fever,  thanks 
to  the  extended  line  of  horse-car  travel  to  the  outskirts.  A 
magnificent  Odd  Fellows'  Hall,  with  stores  under,  has  just 
been  completed,  and  in  the  same  line  of  street  a  movement 
is  on  foot  to  extend  the  dimensions  of  the  post-office.  The 
commodious  and  well-patronized  opera  house,  and  variety  the 
atre,  Liberty  Hall,  amuse  the  citizens  with  all  kinds  of  plays 
in  the  theatrical  season.  The  new  railway  station,  at  the  foot 
of  Pearl  Street,  and  facing  the  river  front,  is  a  substantial, 
roomy,  well-built  depot,  of  gabled  roof,  and  is  much  appre 
ciated  by  passengers,  after  the  dingy,  suffocating  terminus  of 
olden  times.  An  enclosure  of  grass  sward  in  front  of  the 
railway  property  gives  a  pleasant  effect  of  beautiful  green,  as 
the  travellers  emerge  to  and  from  the  depot.  There  are  sev 
eral  hotels  in  New  Bedford,  the  leading  one  of  which  is  the 
Parker  House,  a  comfortable,  home-like  hotel,  conducted  for 
some  years  by  quite  a  popular  caterer,  Mr.  Holder  Brownell ; 
and  in  the  summer  season,  vachtsmen  and  visitors  generally 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  15 

are  to  be  seen  here,  enjoying  good  fare,  and  having  a  good 
time,  previous  to  starting  to  their  destinations  of  Cape  Cod, 
Martha's  Vineyard,  and  Nantucket. 

The  streets  of  New  Bedford  are  in  most  part  very  cleanly, 
being  built  on  a  hilly  eminence.  The  constant  rush  of 
water  from  rains  or  snow  carries  away  all  refuse  into  the 
river,  on  low  level  below.  As  the  business  of  the  whaling 
interest  is  decreasing  here,  other  commercial  enterprises 
have  sprung  into  existence,  of  various  calibre,  and  where  the 
jolly  Jack-tar,  with  his  well-tanned  cheeks,  once  rolled  along 
the  wharf  streets,  now,  to  a  great  extent,  the  pale-faced  mill 
worker  or  skilled  mechanic  plods  his  weary  routine  of  factory 
life,  backwards  and  forwards  to  his  daily  toil  as  a  bread 
winner  for  his  wife  and  children ;  much  has  changed  in  a 
few  3Tears,  and  new  organizations  have  sprung  rapidly  ahead 
and  taken  root,  such  as  cotton,  woollen,  and  yarn  mills. 
Various  iron  foundries  of  anchor  and  smith's  work  and 
innumerable  kinds  of  business  have  taken  forward  steps  in 
this  ancient  city,  and  ere  long  the  home  -of  the  mariners  by 
the  sea  will  be  one  vast  beehive  of  manufacturing  industry. 

New  Bedford  has  a  growing  population,  and  at  June  cen 
sus,  1890,  enumerated  45,000  inhabitants,  and  has  no  less 
than  thirty  churches  to  look  after  the  welfare  of  the  souls  of 
its  people.  The  Sabbaths  in  the  whaling  city  are  calm, 
peaceful,  and  enjoyable ;  the  meeting-house  worshippers 
attend  in  all  kinds  of  weather,  and  are  generally  a  numerous 
congregation. 

Yachting  Season. 

During  the  yachting  season,  New  Bedford  harbor  is  quite 
a  rendezvous  for  yacht  clubs.  The  New  York,  Brooklyn, 
New  London,  and  Boston  Yacht  Clubs  have  in  turn  annu 
ally  anchored  in  our  waters,  and  have  had  several  good- 
natured  rivalry  races  for  prizes,  during  the  summer  season, 
with  our  local  club  ;  the  day's  pleasant,  breezy  enjoyment 
generally  ending  with  reception  or  dance  at  the  commodious 
club-house  on  the  bridge,  and  oftentimes  all  yachts  in  the 
harbor  illuminate  in  the  evening  with  Chinese  lanterns,  signal 
lamps,  etc.  On  such  occasions,  numerous  row-boats,  with 
lady  and  gentleman  occupants,  diversify  the  scene  by  dart 
ing  here  and  there  (like  will-o'-the-wisp")  between  the  fleet, 


16  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

with  their  tiny  signal  lights,  making  quite  a  weird  and  roman 
tic  effect.  The  visiting  yachtsmen  are  invariably  pleased 
with  the  clean  and  well-kept  thoroughfares  of  New  Bed 
ford. 

The  annual  review  of  the  New  Bedford  Yacht  Club  is 
always  an  enjoyable  sight,  and  the  local  well-trimmed  craft 
invariably  turn  out  in  full  force.  The  balcony  of  the  club 
house  on  these  occasions  is  generally  filled  with  visitors,  the 
ladies  predominating.  The  commodore's  yacht  anchors  at  a 
point  between  the  bridge  and  Palmer's  Island,  vice  and  rear 
commodores'  vessels  taking  their  positions  right  and  left  of 
the  flag-ship.  The  yachts  then  sail  in  review,  saluting  as 
they  pass.  The  vessels  then  all  sail  down  the  bay,  and  the 
view  of  the  fleet  yachts,  with  their  outspreading  sails,  is  one 
of  exceeding  beauty  as  they  dash  through  the  frothy  foam 
to  the  buoy  station,  and  return  homeward. 

Portuguese  Masquerade. 

The  annual  custom  in  Fayal  and  the  islands  of  Portugal 
is  to  hold,  in  every  year,  just  before  Lent,  a.  masquerade  or 
fandango,  —  a  weird  kind  of  native  dance  in  costume.  By 
the  invitation  of  a  Portuguese  friend,  the  writer  of  these 
pages  was  invited  to  witness  at  his  house  the  gay  carnival 
gathering.  On  arriving  at  the  Portuguese  quarter,  Water 
Street,  New  Bedford,  quite  a  number  of  people  of  both 
sexes  and  all  ages  had  assembled  to  await  the  arrival  of  the 
procession.  While  waiting,  some  fun  was  evinced  by  the 
lively  young  Portuguese  ladies,  who  good-naturedly  proposed 
an  impromptu  quadrille,  to  the  music  of  a  banjorette.  The 
young  men  were  bashful  and  hung  back,  so  the  writer  was 
archly  asked  by  a  dark-eyed  young  lady,  dressed  in  blue,  to 
be  her  partner  (it  being  leap-year),  which  was  cheerfully 
responded  to ;  the  set  was  made  up,  and  the  primitive  band 
began  its  melody,  when  a  sudden  stoppage  took  place. 
The  maskers  had  arrived  at  the  street  door,  to  the  number 
of  thirty,  and  were  demanding  admittance  in  the  name  of 
the  King  of  Portugal.  The  prince  and  piincess  led  the  way, 
then  followed  knights,  officers,  and  their  ladies  (all  men), 
according  to  their  rank,  and  took  their  station  on  each  side 
of  the  long  rooms,  and  with  ornamental  trimmed  hoops  in. 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  17 

their  hands  began  the  weird  native  dance,  peculiar  to  their 
country  ;  the  music  accompaniment  being  three  guitars  or 
banjorettes.  two  triangles,  and  a  flute  whistle,  its  shrill 
chords  being  the  same  for  fully  half  an  hour.  The  fandango 
was  kept  briskly  a-going,  country-dance  fashion,  till  the 
sweat  ran  down  below  the  masked  faces,  and  an  old  negress 
banjo-player's  countenance  shone  like  polished  ebony,  with 
the  warmth  of  the  rooms  and  exertion  of  playing,  while  the 
boy  flutist  declared  to  a  friend,  in  confidence,  that  kthis 
wind  was  nearly  gone."  At  length  the  chief  captain  blew 
his  signal  whistle  to  cease  the  everlasting,  monotonous  dance, 
and  after  a  little  breathing  time,  a  ceremony  was  gone 
through,  of  some  sort  of  acting  play,  in  Portuguese  dialogue. 
The  plot  appeared  to  be  in  the  person  of  a  claimant,  an 
officer,  for  the  hand  of  the  princess,  and  who  brandished  his 
sword  fiercely,  and  offered  to  challenge  to  mortal  combat 
any  one  who  disputed  his  claim.  A  great  clamor  of  tongues 
arose  to  annihilate  this  pretender,  as  the  princess  was  already 
affianced  to  a  prince,  and  their  nuptials  were  about  to  be 
solemnized,  when  this  madman  of  an  officer  put  in  his  claim. 
He  was,  however,  speedily  overpowered,  bound  hand  and 
foot,  and  incarcerated  in  one  of  the  numerous  castles  close 
by.  The  marriage  then  took  place,  without  further  inter 
ruption,  the  tiresome  fandango  began  again,  then  the  pre 
sentation  of  guests  to  the  newly  wedded  pair  ended  this 
somewhat  curious  masquerade  dance.  Comic  characters  of 
clowns,  old  women,  and  rag  babies  enlivened  the  grotesque 
and  animated  scene.  Visitors  of  all  ages  lined  the  sides  of 
the  rooms,  standing  on  chairs,  others  crowding  in  passages 
and  staircases*  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  maskers,  whose  cos 
tumes  were  very  fresh,  new,  and  pretty,  and  the  make-up  of 
the  young  men  into  young  women  was  truly  wonderful. 
The  kind  host  and  hostess  were  very  liberal  in  entertaining 
the  dancers  with  wine  and  cake  and  other  refreshments, 
before  they  left  for  home.  We  were  informed  that  the 
maskers  call  at  three  or  four  houses,  by  arrangement,  on  the 
same  evening,  and  go  through  the  excessive  fatigue  till 
early  hours  in  the  morning. 


18  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 


"Taking  the  Crown"  at  a  Portuguese  Church. 

On  a  Sunday  in  May,  1884,  we  witnessed  a  somewhat 
novel  ceremony  at  a  Portuguese  church  in  the  south  part  of 
New  Bedford.  The  custom  is,  for  seven  consecutive  Sab 
baths  after  Easter  to  hold  religious  services  on  behalf  of  the 
serious-minded  man  or  woman  who  may  wish  to  become  an 
aspirant  for  salvation,  assuming  a  kind  of  penance  by 
"  taking  the  crown,"  as  it  is  termed.  On  these  seven  Sun 
days  special  services  and  priestly  exhortations  are  delivered, 
with  much  effect ;  extra  choral  singing  and  organ  recitals, 
aided  by  a  Portuguese  band  of  music,  assist  to  make  the 
ceremonial  one  of  very  solemn  interest.  At  the  commence 
ment  of  the  service,  a  procession  is  formed  of  the  officiating 
priests,  choristers,  and  a  committee  of  relatives  and  friends 
in  great  number,  some  carrying  lighted  candles,  others  bear 
ing  red  canes  of  sacred  office.  They  thus  march  to  the 
chancel,  near  the  altar  of  the  church,  the  band  and  organ 
playing,  and  the  singers  chanting  till  all  get  to  their  places. 
In  the  case  of  a  lady  suppliant  for  the  crown,  a  procession 
of  girls,  dressed  in  white,  attend  her  as  escort  down  the  aisle. 
When  the  formal  addresses  are  delivered,  interspersed  with 
some  excellent  singing  by  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the 
choir,  a  benediction  is  given  by  the  priest,  the  sterling-silver 
crown  is  placed  on  the  head  of  the  religious  aspirant,  and 
the  procession  reforms,  and  countermarches  along  the  aisle 
to  the  church  door,  amid  much  music  and  singing.  We 
may  add  that  a  week  of  prayer  and  preparation  is  enjoined 
on  the  applicant,  before  having  the  crown  jeeremony.  A 
sumptuous  repast  is  invariably  given  at  the  devotee's  "house 
to  his  friends. 

Fort  Phoenix,  Fairhaven. 

Fort  Phoenix  is  an  old,  dismantled  fortress,  situated  in  the 
town  of  Fairhaven,  opposite  to  New  Bedford  ;  the  place  used 
to  be  in  a  very  untidy  and  dirty  condition,  its  chief  inhabit 
ants  being  dogs  and  cats,  chickens  and  pigs,  who  made  their 
home  amongst  the  old  cannon  and  neglected  gun-carriages. 
From  the  summit  of  the  battlement  tower  a  fine  view  of  the 
river  Acushuet  and  Buzzard's  Bav  can  be  seen,  and  in  sum- 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  19 

mer  time  many  picnics  take  place  in  the  fragrant  meadows 
adjacent  to  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  citadel,  where  clam-bakes,* 
baked  beans,  and  other  delicacies  are  eaten  and  enjoyed,  with 
Nature's  covering  for  a  table-cloth,  generally  winding  up  with 
an  impromptu  dance,  if  a  fiddler  can  be  found  to  play  a 
lively  jig  or  polka  ;  but  since  the  extension  of  the  pleasant 
ride  of  the  horse-cars  to  this  retreat,  a  dance-hall  and  refresh 
ment  restaurants  have  sprung  up,  with  a  band  of  music  on 
occasional  evenings  during  the  warm  season.  Fort  Phoenix 
and  its  neighborhood  has  become  quite  a  noted  place  for 
artists,  —  in  sketching  their  marine  subjects,  —  and  a  great 
resort  for  the  u  lovers'  ramble,"  when  the  soft  nothings  of  the 
hour  are  repeated  over  and  over  again,  mostly  to  willing  ears. 
A  stroll  along  the  seashore,  near  the  fort,  is  a  very  pleasant 
recreation,  with  the  sounds  of  the  soft  murmurs  of  the  ocean, 
the  splashing  of  the  tide  as  it  ebbs  and  flows  in  its  natu 
ral  wont,  and  the  watching  of  the  white-winged  sails  of  the 
distant  yachts  scudding  before  the  wind.  The  Point  road,  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river  and  commencement  of  bay  (New 
Bedford  district),  is  quite  a  popular  drive  for  all  classes,  and 
this  pleasant  esplanade  of  some  three  miles  around  is  much 
enjoyed  in  fine  weather.  About  midway  of  the  Point  is  a 
large  fortress,  in  good  condition,  with  numbers  of  cannon 
and  a  quantity  of  ammunition  in  the  citadel's  enclosure.  A 
ride  around  the  Point  road  to  the  head  of  the  river,  at 
Acushnet  Avenue,  is  shown  to  most  visitors  to  the  whaling 
city. 

Husking  Party  at  Sconticut  Neck. 

"Then  come  with  me,  sweet  Phillis,  ray  dear,  my  lovely  bride, 
We  '11  jump  into  the  wagon,  and  all  take  a  ride."  •  , 

A  large  New  Bedford  pleasure  wagon,  drawn  by  four  gray 
horses,  conveyed  a  very  merry  party  of  some  sixteen  couples 
of  single  and  married  folks  to  a  New  England  husking,  at 
a  pleasant  country  homestead,  situated  at  Sconticut  Neck,  a 
few  miles  from  Fairhaven.  Our  well-appointed  team  soon 
rattled  us  to  our  destination,  and  we  then  beheld  a  most 
curious  sight,  of  weird-like  description  :  by  the  light  of  the 
moon  we  saw  numbers  of  friends  and  acquaintances  of  our 
own,  and  numerous  neighbors  of  the  farmer's  family,  already 
hard  at  work,  at  the  husking,  in  the  spacious  barns  and  yards. 


20  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

The  corn  sheaves  were  piled  quite  high,  and  as  the  rows  of 
*young  men  and  maidens  were  busily  employed,  some  good- 
natured  raillery  was  enjoyed  whenever  a  red  ear  was  found, 
and  the  excitement  and  confusion  of  the  girl,  as  the  finder 
tried  to  kiss  the  young  lady  nearest  him  as  his  reward,  accord 
ing  to  custom  at  these  gatherings.  When  the  husking  was 
all  completed,  we  were  invited  to  the  farmhouse,  where  we 
found  a  most  sumptuous  supper  provided  for. us  by  our  kind 
entertainers,  consisting  of  the  time-honored  pots  of  beans, 
huge  sides  of  corn  beef,  and  pumpkin,  apple,  and  other  pies, 
by  the  score.  Coffee,  tea,  and  light  refreshments  in  variety 
were  there,  all  of  which  the  visitors  did  ample  justice  to, 
after  the  arduous  duties  of  husking  and  flirting.  The  music 
of  four  pieces,  kindly  furnished  by  a  (New  Bedford)  friend 
of  the  writer's,  added  much  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  evening  ; 
the  merry,  lively  jigs  and  country  dances  were  footed  with 
great  earnestness  to  the  time  of  the  excellent  band.  Dan 
cing  was  kept  up  till  the  small  hours  of  the  morning,  when  all 
returned,  much  gratified  at  such  a  pleasant  gathering  in  the 
old  family  homestead,  and  made  the  countryside  echo  again 
with  the  gleesome  song  of  "  Wait  for  the  Wagon,  and  We  '11 
all  Take  a  Ride." 

Sconticut  Neck  and  Horse-Neck  Beach. 

Sconticut  is  a  good  locality  for  catching  such  fish  as  scupr 
flat-fish,  perch,  etc.  ;  and  to  try  our  luck  at  the  piscatory 
sport,  we  borrowed  a  neighbor's  boat,  which  proved  to  be  a 
leaky  one,  and  compelled  us  to  take  off  our  shoes  and  socks^ 
—  a  great  mistake.  The  lower  limbs  had  better  be  incased 
in  their  hose,  than  run  the  risk  of  the  feet  being  burnt  up  by 
a  July  sun  while  fishing  in  an  old  boat  some  four  hours.  If 
the  reader  is  amphibious,  and  used  to  being  in  salt  water 
very  often,  perhaps  it  does  not  matter  about  bare  feet ;  but 
to  a  landsman,  the  exposure  to  the  sun's  rays  and  the  briny 
deep  is  a  painful  ordeal,  causing  much  pain  and  swelling  for 
days  afterwards.  You  had  better  be  cautious,  like  the 
44  Widow  Bedott,"  who,  when  asked  to  be  baptized,  said,. 
44  No,  indeed  ;  she  had  not  been  immersed  all  over  for  twenty 
years,  and  she  was  sure  she  would  not  commence  now.'* 
Horse-Neck  Beach,  situated  about  fifteen  miles  from  New 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  21 

Bedford,  and  one  of  those  charming  inlets  of  Buzzard's  Bay, 
is  much  frequented  in  the  warm  season,  for  bathing  and  fish 
ing.  A  gentleman  friend  kindly  invited  the  narrator  to  a 
day's  outing  to  Horse-Neck,  and  the  recollection  of  that 
pleasant  recreation  is  very  refreshing.  Starting  at  early 
morning  in  my  friend's  well-appointed  carriage,  with  a  fast 
roadster,  we  rattled  briskly  along,  reaching  the  beach  in 
good  time  for  a  shore  dinner,  cooked  to  perfection,  and  pre 
sided  over  by  our  genial  hostess  ;  then  a  ramble  on  the 
smooth,  beautiful  sand  shore  of  the  famed  beach,  with  the 
invigorating  sea-breeze  blowing  in  our  faces,  and  in  the  com 
pany  of  friends  whom  we  met  there,  gave  quite  a  zest  to  our 
visit.  Our  rested  horse  took  us  quickly  homeward,  passing 
through  the  neighborhood  of  Nonquit  and  Dartmouth,  in  the 
evening's  twilight,  which  added  much  to  the  charm  of  such  a 
•day's  enjoyment,  though  of  past  memories. 

Skating  and  Ice-Boats  on  Acushnet  River. 

During  midwinter,  the  river  Acushnet,  stretching  from  New 
Bedford  to  Fairhaven  (above  the  bridge) ,  is  generally  one 
vast  sheet  of  ice,  and  the  season's  carnival  of  skating  is  wel 
comed  by  thousands  of  young  people  of  both  sexes.  The 
merry  performers  on  the  skate  appear  to  great  advantage  ; 
ample  space  on  this  frozen  water  is  given  for  the  free  display 
of  curves,  twists,  and  fantastic  evolutions  of  the  swift 
skaters  ;  the  sharp,  crisp  air  from  off  the  bay  fans  the  cheeks 
of  the  young  ladies  to  a  rosy  hue,  adding  quite  a  charm  and 
grace,  in  the  exercise  of  this  healthy  enjoyment.  When  the 
wind  is  favorable,  the  ice-boats  spread  their  sails  to  the 
breeze,  and  the  primitive  flying  machine  goes  with  great 
velocity  over  the  icy  plateau,  to  the  amusement  and  excite 
ment  of  young  and" old,  who  scream  and  laugh,  in  hilarious 
glee,  on  "being  carried  at  the  speed  of  a  locomotive.  The 
•coasting  in  America  is  a  great  pastime  for  boys  and  girls,  and 
others  of  larger  growth ;  day  and  night  this  somewhat  dan 
gerous  pastime  is  practised.  The  double-rippers,  or  large 
sleds  (when  the  snow  is  well  hardened),  filled  with  riders, 
dash  down  the  hills  and  declivities  at  a  tremendous  pace,  the 
impetus  being  so  great  that  the  misfortune  of  a  collision  with 
an  obstruction  sometimes  is  attended  with  serious  results,  of 
broken  limbs  and  occasional  fatal  hurts. 


22 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 


A   Cruise   from   New  Bedford  to  Philadelphia,  in  Schooner 
"Julien   Nelson." 


Life  on  the  ocean  wave, 

A  home  on  the  rolling  deep, 
Where  the  scattered  waters  rave, 

And  the  winds  their  revels  keep ! 

Old  Song. 

At  early  dawn,  on  Friday,  June  12,  1885,  we  heaved  up 
anchor,  on  board  the  k'  Julien  Nelson,"  at  the  foot  of  Union 
Street,  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  bound  for  the  Quaker  City.  %  By 
the  kind  courtesy  of  captain  and  mate,  the  writer  of  these 
pages  was  invited  for  the  cruise;.  Nothing  could  exceed  the 
beauty  of  that  glorious  June  morning,  as  the  vessel  left  her 
moorings  to  drift  in  the  stream,  preparatory  to  getting  into 
the  bay.  The  early  sun's  rays  darted  in  vivid  and  playful 
slanting  lines  across  the  waters  of  the  harbor,  and  the  hush 
and  quiet  of  the  yet  unawakened  day  lent  a  serenity  of  re 
pose  to  the  surroundings  on  shore.  With  the  freshening  of 
the  wind,  the  foresail  and  mainsail  were  set  to  the  breeze, 
and,  as  we  sailed  quickly  along  the  channel  course,  the  order 
for  jibs  to  be  unfurled  was  promptly  obeyed,  and  we  speed 
ily  made  for  the  bay,  the  sparkling  waves  parting,  as  our 
gallant  vessel  dashed  through  the  seethy  foam.  As  we 
ploughed  the  limpid  waters  of  Buzzard's  Bay,  quite  a  fleet  of 
vessels  was  our  company  for  miles,  with  their  white,  out 
stretched  wings  fully  set,  beating  out  for  the  ocean. 

The  first  night  at  sea,  to  a  landsman,  is  generally  an  uncom 
fortable  one,  though,  through  the  captain's  kindness,  I  was 
provided  with  the  best  state-room  on  board  the  snug  craft, 
yet  the  unpleasant  motion  made  one  crave  for  the  morning's, 
light.  At  daybreak  we  sighted  Block  Island,  the  large  roll- 
jng  waves,  as  usual  in  that  locality,  being  very  wild  and  tur- 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  2 

bulent ;  the  same  evening  we  brushed  by  Fire  Island,  the 
wind  still  ahead.  On  Sunday  morning,  a  bright  and  lovely 
da}T,  we  skirted  the  Jersey  shore,  and  had  a  magnificent  view 
of  Long  Branch,  with  its  pretty  cottages  and  superb  hotels. 
It  was  quite  refreshing  to  watch  the  shore,  and  all  the  moving 
vehicles  and  animated  nature  thereon,  giving  a  sense  of 
security,  as  it  were,  of  being  in  vicinity  of  the  land.  As 
the  wind  changed,  we  had  to  make  for  the  open  sea  again, 
with  its  long,  measured,  heaving  swell,  until  we  reached 
Barnegat  lighthouse,  a  warning  beacon  to  mariners,  on  account 
of  the  shoals  in  its  neighborhood.  The  remains  of  the  ill- 
fated  steamer  "  Guadaloupe,"  wrecked  on  this  dangerous 
sand  bar,  December,  1884,  were  still  there,  in  the  fastness  of 
the  reef,  when  we  sailed  by,  —  another  sad  lesson,  like  the 
44  City  of  Columbus"  calamity,  only  happily  without  loss  of 
life,  the  sixty  passengers  and  crew  being  saved.  Monday, 
still  out  at  sea,  steering  for  Five  Fathom  Bank  lightship, 
twenty  miles  from  Cape  May ;  the  wind  light,  causing  a  vio 
lent  slapping  of  sails,  and  a  very  unpleasant  rolling  of  the 
vessel,  and  the  sun's  intense  rays  pouring  down  their  fiery  heat 
on  our  devoted  heads.  The  only  escape  from  this  was  to 
find  relief  in  the  well-appointed  cabin,  and  try  to  enjoy  a 
read,  or  attack  a  meal  prepared  for  us  by  the  excellent  stew 
ard, —  the  healthy  sea-breeze  making  all  hands  do  full  justice 
to  the  generous  table  of  viands.  The  wind  freshening,  we 
got  into  sight  of  Cape  May. 

On  that  evening,  while  in  the  bay,  the  atmosphere  became 
almost  stifling,  and  the  sky  cloudy  to  total  blackness,  and 
as  night  closed  in,  one  of  those  fearful  summer  squalls  took 
place.  The  constant,  vivid,  bewildering  flashes  of  lightning 
in  a  manner  enveloped  us  (as  it  were)  in  its  electric  embrace. 
The  whole  firmament,  right  down  to  the  horizon,  appeared  to 
be  alive  with  the  electric  fluid,  appearing  as  sheets  of  flame, 
interspersed  with  loud,  booming  claps  of  thunder,  echoing 
along  sea  and  shore  with  growling  murmurs  of  solemn  awe 
and  grandeur.  .  The  rain  lent  its  aid  of  discomfort  to  this 
scene  of  wildness  on  the  ocean,  and  the  numbers  of  vessels 
surrounding  us  caused  the  captain  to  promptly  order  the 
crew  to  drop  anchor  and  furl  sails,  to  prevent  a  probable 
collision  amongst  the  fleet  in  the  darkness,  except  when  the 
lightning  showed  us  our  dangerous  proximity.  In  a  few 


24  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

hours  the  storm  ceased,  and  the  somewhat  alarmed  passenger 
and  weary  crew  went  below  and  enjoyed  a  partial  night's 
rest.  The  sail  up  the  bay,  and  skirting  Delaware  Break 
water  into  the  river  for  nearly  one  hundred  miles,  was  very 
enjoyable  all  day  Tuesday  ;  on  each  side  of  us  were  the 
Jerse}'  and  Delaware  shores,  and  the  beautiful  marine  resi 
dences  and  farm-houses,  surrounded  by  charming  gardens, 
were  very  refreshing  to  the  beholder,  after  so  much  sky  and 
water. 

As  we  closed  our  journey  up  the  Delaware  River,  the 
amount  of  business  in  lumber  and  coal  seemed  to  be  im 
mense  ;  all  kinds  of  craft,  outward  and  homeward  bound, 
appeared  always  on  the  move,  from  the  well-appointed 
steamer  to  the  humblest  vessel  afloat. 

To  attempt  to  describe  Philadelphia  would  almost  fill  a 
volume ;  the  city  is  teeming  with  historic  interest  (and  will 
be  spoken  of  in  the  section  devoted  to  the  Quaker  City). 
Girard  College  and  grounds  ;  Fairmount  Park  and  its  mag 
nificent  conservatory  ;  the  Zoological  Garden  near  the  flowing 
Schuylkill  River ;  the  colossal  public  buildings  of  massive 
granite  and  white  marble,  then  in  process  of  erection,  bid 
ding  fair  to  rival  in  superb  architecture  and  execution  of 
fine  masonry  any  other  ctty  in  the  Union  ;  the  handsome 
and  commodious  railway  station  of  the  Pennsylvania  com 
pany,  close  by,  is  another  of  the  great  improvements  of  Phil 
adelphia  ;  the  spacious  and  well-appointed  new  post-office  is 
still  another  of  the  marvels  of  progress  in  the  City  of  Broth 
erly  Love  ;  the  mint,  for  the  manufacture  of  Uncle  Sam's 
coin,  was  also  taken  in  for  inspection,  with  the  above  places, 
as  sights  full  of  interest,  by  the  New  Bedford  voyager,  and 
he  closed  his  week  on  shore  by  a  visit  to  Independence  Hall, 
in  company  with  a  New  Orleans  excursion  party. 

On  our  homeward  journey  down  the  Delaware  River  once 
more,  we  espied  numerous  vessels  laying  inside  the  break 
water,  waiting  for  the  tide  or  tug-boats  to  propel  the  crafts 
to  their  destination.  The  return  sail  to  New  Bedford  was 
very  enjoyable  ;  sunny  days  and  fair  winds  prevailed  nearly 
all  "the  way,  glorious  sunsets  of  eventide,  winding  up  with 
the  bright  moon's  rays  at  night.  The  only  thing  wanting  to 
make  the  two  weeks'  cruise  complete,  was  the  charming  soci 
ety  of  some  lady  passengers. 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  25 


Camp-Meetings  at  Martha's  Vineyard. 

The  well-known  Martha's  Vineyard,  or  its  more  modern 
title,  "  Cottage  City,"  is  perhaps  the  best  regulated  and  most 
patronized  of  all  the  revivalists'  meetings  in  America.  The 
Methodists  and  Baptists  carry  the  sway  hereabouts,  in  their 
large  tabernacles  of  worship,  so  that  the  old  custom  of  tented 
meetings  and  tented  homes  is  scarcely  ever  beheld  now. 
But,  as  an  observer  of  religious  observances,  we  think  the 
camp-meetings,  as  a  real  benefit  to  sincere  conversion,  quite 
questionable,  as  the  mode  of  converted  fervor  is  too  spas 
modic,  and  not  lasting  in  its  zeal.  Yachting,  boating,  fish 
ing,  and  flirting  form  one  part  of  the  amusement  of  the  hour 
to  some  attenders  ;  while  bathing  at  all  times,  and  reading 
seaside  novels  help  to  pass  the  remainder  of  the  livelong  day 
to  others,  seated  in  comfortable  rocking-chairs.  Thus  do 
the  genuine  camp-followers  get  through  their  religious  vaca 
tion,  interspersed  with  occasional  attendance  at  meeting^ 
when  a  noted  preacher  or  evangelist  singer  comes  from 
Boston  or  elsewhere. 

During  the  season  an  amateur  fox  hunt  sometimes  takes 
place ;  that  is  to  say,  a  bag  with  anise-seed  is  dragged 
along  the  ground,  to  entice  the  fox-hounds  to  follow  the 
trail.  It  oftentimes  happens,  however,  that  some  dogs, 
exasperated  at  not  finding  a  fox,  set  to  work  on  a  flock  of 
sheep,  worrying  or  killing  some  fifteen  or  more,  and  maim 
ing  many  others,  causing  much  hard  feeling  amongst  the 
farmers,  who  sally  out  on  their  land,  armed  with  shot-guns,, 
clubs,  and  pitchforks,  to  protect  their  animals  ;  and  one 
old  lady,  it  is  recorded,  lately  saved  her  pet  lamb  from 
destruction  by  using  a  large  broom  freely  and  forcibly  on 
the  heads  and  bodies  of  the  murderous  hounds. 

The  monotony  of  the  life  at  Martha's  Vineyard,  unless 
some  lively  society  is  kept  up,  must  be  very  undesirable  for 
any  length  of  time.  Miniature  lodging-houses  are  built 
along  lonely  avenues,  where  the  doors  of  the  sleeping  cham 
bers  are  generally  left  open,  and  the  beds  visible  in  the  best 
room,  or  anywhere  else  to  secure  an  honest  penny,  in  full 
view  of  the  passers-by.  The  sandy  soil  here  causes  intense 
heat  during  the  da}',  but  cool  breezes  oftentimes  blow  over 


26  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

'the  island  at  eventide  ;  and  the  quiet  gloom  of  these  cottage 
hives  is  somewhat  curious.  The  sojourners  suffer  all  sorts 
>of  inconveniences  in  their  temporary  homes,  because  it  is 
called  "  camp  life,"  and  considered  fashionable,  and  the  right 
thing  to  do.  The  only  life  in  the  whole  affair  appears  to  be 
upon  the  arrival  of  a  New  Bedford  or  Nantucket  steamer ; 
'tis  then  the  kt  campers"  and  hotel  visitors  turn  out  en 
masse,  either  to  welcome  their  friends  or  ridicule  the  seasick 
voyagers. 

The  grand  wind-up  of  the  season,  in  the  latter  part  of 
August,  is  the  great  event  of  the  summer  vacation.  An 
extensive  illumination  of  most  of  the  cottages  all  over  the 
bluffs  is  certainly  an  impressive  sight,  particularly  in  some 
of  the  avenues  where  the  Chinese  lanterns  have  full  sway ; 
and  the  liberal  supply  of  fireworks  for  two  hours,  and  some 
bands  of  music  playing,  make  this  evening  quite  a  gala 
night,  the  more  so  if  the  weather  is  propitious.  Visitors 
come  in  thousands  from  all  parts  to  see  this  outside  show, 
and  the  confusion  and  extortionate  demands  for  lodgings  at 
hotels  and  cottages  could  be  told  with  much  fun.  Suffice  it 
to  say,,  one  night  at  this  gala  time  is  experience  enough 
in  the  makeshift  cottage  life,  sleeping  in  rooms  not  so  large 
as  a  closet.  Inconvenient  as  that  may  be,  it  is  preferable 
to  walking  the  island,  as  some  have  had  to  do,  on  illumina 
tion  night.  Before  closing  this  subject,  allow  the  writer  to 
speak  of  the  bathing  of  this  place.  It  is  no  unusual  sight 
to  see  a  man  emerge  from  a  cottage  in  some  avenue,  in  full 
bathing  costume  of  short  drawers,  and  walk  in  a  stately  man 
ner  to  the  shore,  with  umbrella  over  head  and  cigar  in  mouth, 
as  proudly  as  the  South  Sea  Islander  did  who  stole  the  top 
boots  and  cocked  hat  of  a  naval  officer,  and  then  strutted  with 
them  on,  as  if  full  dressed  for  a  dandy.  The  lady  bathers 
.generally  have  water-proof  cloaks  over  their  bathing  cos 
tumes  when  leaving  their  cottages,  and  look  a  little  more 
becoming  in  their  costumes  than  their  lords  and  masters. 

A  fine  outlook  can  be  seen  from  the  Sea  View  House,  of 
the  ocean,  on  a  clear  day,  which  is  very  refreshing,  particu 
larly  if  it  is  breezy ;  and  as  the  eye  wanders  on  the  distant 
line  of  the  horizon  it  is  then,  with  placid  calmness,  that  the 
busy  man  can  settle  down  on  the  hotel  piazza  with  a  fragrant 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  27 

havana,  and  seem  to  forget,  for  a  while,  common  business 
life,  and  its  many  attendant  anxieties. 

Martha's  Vineyard  is  the  largest  of  the  islands  of  New 
England,  being  twenty  miles  long,  and  at  its  widest  point 
ten  miles  across.  Distant  from  Boston  by  rail  and  boat, 
seventy-eight  miles.  The  western  extreme  of  the  island,  ter 
minating  in  Gay  Head,  is  wild  and  precipitous,  but  fashion 
liking  the  eastern  end  best,  has  set  the  seal  of  its  approval 
upon  the  bluff  that  looks  out  towards  Nantucket.  It  is  no 
uncommon  thing  for  from  fifty  to  sixty  thousand  persons  to 
be  congregated  here  in  the  height  of  the  season.  Across  a 
deeply  indenting  bayou,  or  inlet,  is  the  village  of  Vineyard 
Haven,  where  tourists  find  rest  and  repose  in  its  quiet  locality. 

Gay   Head. 

Gay  Head  is  situated  on  the  western  point  of  Martha's 
Vineyard,  about  twenty-five  miles'  pleasant  sail  from  New 
Bedford.  The  place  is  noted  for  its  lighthouse,  and  the 
powerful  lenses  of  thick  cut-glass  of  the  lantern  or  apparatus 
for  lighting  ;  they  are  among  the  finest  in  the  United  States, 
and  were  on  view  at  the  International  Exhibition,  London, 
England,  1862.  This  magnificent  luminaiy  can  be  seen  on 
clear  nights  as  far  distant  as  the  Point  road,  New  Bedford. 

Gay  Head  has  for  its  inhabitants  a  tribe  of  civilized  Indi 
ans,  settled  there  some  two  generations  ago  ;  these  people 
appear  to  be  very  industrious,  and  civil  to  strangers,  gaining 
their  livelihood  by  tilling  the  rugged  farming  land  on  the 
island,  but  their  best  means  of  existence  is  by  fishing  on  the 
coast ;  lobsters  abounding  there  in  great  numbers. 

When  the  summer  excursion  steamers  from  New  Bedford, 
or  elsewhere,  made  visits  to  Gay  Head,  the  Indian  fishermen 
used  to  be  notified  beforehand  to  be  in  readiness  with  their 
large  whale-boats,  —  the  steamboat  company  formerly  em 
ploying  these  men  to  convej'  the  passengers  ashore  in  their 
strong  nondescript  whale  or  surf  boats,  as  there  was  no  pier 
or  landing  place  for  large  craft  then.  There  was  much 
amusement  amongst  the  ladies,  particularly  the  elder  ones, 
they  being  afraid  the  dusky  fishermen  might  upset  them  in 
the  water,  or  run  away  with  their  fair  selves  to  the  adjacent 


28  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

wigwams  or  huts ;  the  more  prudish  of  the  excursionists 
positively  declined  to  land,  perhaps  on  account  of  decorum 
or  timidity  ;  but  the  young  ladies  made  no  demurs,  but  rather 
liked  the  excitement  of  being  rowed  a  few  hundred  yards  by 
the  ''dear  civilized  Indians,"  and  the  fun  of  being  handed  in 
and  out  of  the  boat  by  a  handsome  young  savage  added  a 
good  deal  of  zest  to  the  little  romance  of  adventure.  These 
peaceful  half-breeds  and  their  squaws  and  children  sell  spe 
cimens  of  the  beautiful-colored  clays  to  be  found  on  the 
overhanging  bluffs.  The  view  from  the  peaks  and  various 
highest  points  looking  down  on  the  ravines  of  the  magnificent- 
colored  clays  of  the  cliffs  is  really  grand,  and  alone  worthy 
of  a  trip  to  these  shores. 

The  captain  of  the  steamer  u  Monohanset"  was  always  very 
kind  on  these  and  similar  excursions,  and  invariably  took  us 
a  wide  circuit  around  the  Bluffs  in  sailing  homeward,  so  that 
a  good  view  from  all  points  of  interest  was  obtainable,  and 
oftentimes  the  sight  was  one  of  great  beauty.  As  the  chan 
nel  between  the  Vineyard  and  the  main  land  is  the  highway 
of  all  steamer  traffic  between  New  York  and  the  South  and 
eastern  parts  of  New  England,  the  scene  at  all  times  is  ani 
mated,  and  when  a  storm  threatens,  Vineyard  Haven  is  alive 
with  ocean  craft  of  all  sorts  and  sizes.  Since  writing  the 
above,  a  very  nice,  commodious  pier  has  been  erected  by  the 
steamboat  company  at  Gay  Head,  thus  doing  away  with  the 
services  of  our  Indian  friends  and  their  emoluments  ;  but 
true  to  their  nature,  they  remain  perfectly  stoical  in  the  mat 
ter,  and  with  folded  arms  and  solemn  mien  witness  the  land 
ing  and  embarkation  of  passengers  with  perfect  indifference. 

"  City  of  Columbus  "  Shipwreck. 

Though  the  summer  season  of  1883  was  very  enjoyable  in 
the  vicinity  of  Gay  Head,  the  reverse  was  the  case  in  the 
winter  time  of  January,  1884,  when  the  lamentable  ship 
wreck  of  the  ill-fated  steamship  "  City  of  Columbus"  took 
place  on  the  reef  of  rocks  called  Devil's  Bridge,  a  dangerous 
locality,  supposed  to  be  well  known  to  mariners  generally ; 
yet  at  3.45  A.  M.,  Friday,  Jan.  18.  the  doomed  steamer,  on 
her  voyage  from  Boston  to  Savannah,  was  steered  to  her 
destruction  on  the  reef,  in  sight  of  the  lighthouse  off  Gay 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  29 

Head,  and  one  hundred  and  nineteen  human  beings  lost,  out 
of  a  number  of  one  hundred  and  forty-two  passengers  and 
crew.  The  heart-rending  and  harrowing  details  of  the  disas 
ter  are  no  doubt  in  the  memories  of  my  readers,  as  an  event 
which  shook  the  community  of  Eastern  New  England  and 
elsewhere  with  feelings  of  dismay,  sorrow,  and  bereavement. 
To  analyze  this  shocking  calamity  would  be  too  painful  to 
reiterate  in  all  its  melancholy  bearings  ;  but  the  wailing  cries 
of  u  Help!  Help!"  on  that  wintry  January  morning,  from 
the  unfortunate  passengers  and  seamen,  were  unheeded, 
except  by  the  sobbing  of  the  waves  and  the  hoarse  cry  of 
the  storm-dashed  breakers,  as  they  again  and  again  fed  their 
fury  on  the  devoted  bodies  of  the  lost  and  the  living  that 
clung  so  many  weary  hours  to  the  masts  of  the  ill-fated 
steamer.  In  the  Lord's  name,  let  us  draw  a  veil  over  this 
picture  of  dreadful  desolation  and  wholesale  slaughter  of 
over  one  hundred  souls,  and  in  pity's  sake  try  to  believe  that 
those  in  responsible  authority  must  have  been  dazed,  be 
witched,  bewildeivd,  or  something  worse,  when  they  deliber 
ately,  on  a  moonlight  night,  steered  the  doomed  vessel  and 
its  living,  human  freight  to  instant  destruction,  as  if  those 
in  command  of  the  ill-fated  steamer  were  lured  on  to  the 
rocks  by  some  wicked  sirens  of  the  deep,  in  thus  crushing 
out  the  lives  of  so  many  souls  in  so  culpable  a  manner. 
Not  one  woman  or  child  saved,  out  of  the  number  of  thirty- 
four  on  board,  does  not  speak  veiy  favorably  for  the 
bravery  or  humanity  of  the  male  survivors,  in  this  age  of 
chivalry  towards  the  weak  and  helpless,  though  it  may  be 
some  allowance  must  be  made  for  the  powerless  state  of  the 
frantic  men  in  their  lamentable  lack  of  discipline,  the  sud 
denness  of  the  calamity  paralyzing  all  efforts  towards  duty 
or  order  ;  and  the  motto,  u  Every  one  for  himself,"  was  truly 
exemplified  here,  when  nearly  twoscore  of  poor  women  and 
children  were  ruthlessly  swept  away  into  a  watery  grave. 
The  cold,  pitiful,  steely  moon's  rays  must  have  looked  on  a 
sad  and  sickening  scene,  when  mothers  were  dashed  from 
their  offspring  by  the  cruel  waves,  amid  hurried  leave-takings 
of  husbands  and  wives,  brothers  and  sisters,  each  clinging  in 
their  last  earthly  embrace  of  death  agony ;  and  as  the  rush 
ing  waters  closet  around  them,  a  wild,  piercing  cry  echoed 


30  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

far  and  wide,  almost,  as  it  were,  cursing  those  whose  wilful 
negligence  had  brought  about  this  tragedy  of  the  sea. 

The  writer  of  these  pages  had  an  interview  with  Capt. 
Gabrielson  and  his  officers,  of  the  revenue  cutter  "  Dexter," 
while  she  was  in  New  Bedford  harbor.  It  may  be  remem 
bered  by  the  reader  that  the  steamer  "  Dexter"  was  cruising 
around  Newport  station  when  the  captain  and  his  men,  at 
early  dawn,  espied  the  wreck  of  the  "  Columbus,"  and  the 
half-frozen  men  clinging  to  the  masts.  Steaming  quickly  as 
far  as  they  dared  go  near  the  rocks,  brave  Lieut.  Rhodes  and 
other  officers  and  men  plunged  into  the  seething  waters 
several  times,  and  rescued  all  the  lives  they  could ;  in  which 
humane  work  they  were  ably  assisted  by  the  Gay  Head 
Indians  in  their  staunch  whale-boats,  on  that  bitter,  disas 
trous  morning. 

In  concluding  this  sad  episode  of  Gay  Head,  the  finishing 
stanza  of  Mrs.  E.  E.  Brown's  admirable  poem  of  the  "Co 
lumbus  "  disaster  may  be  read  with  interest  by  my  readers  :  — 

"  For  ages  to  come  will  our  seamen  dread 
The  terrible  rocks  around  Gay  Head. 
In  low,  hushed  voice,  and  with  hearts  of  fear, 
They  will  speak  of  the  wreck  that  was  buried  here. 
In  the  midnight  watch  they  will  sit  and  tell 
The  tale  that  all  of  us  know  so  well : 
Of  the  many  who  sank  'neath  the  waters  blue ; 
Of  heroes  who  rescued  the  struggling  few." 

Nantucket  and   Siasconset. 

Nantucket  rests,  lonely  and  remote,  far  out  upon  the 
ocean,  and  is  a  pleasant  sail  of  some  twenty  miles  from 
Martha's  Vineyard,  —  a  charming  island  to  spend  a  summer 
vacation  in.  Some  good  hotels  and  boarding-houses  abound 
here.  The  townspeople  are  of  a  primitive,  kindly  race,  and 
pleased  to  make  acquaintance  with  strangers.  Captains  and 
owners  of  whaling  ships  and  other  vessels  have  located  in 
this  place,  to  spend  the  remainder  of  their  days,  and  the 
hardy,  healtlry-looking  toilers  of  the  sea  may  be  found  every 
day  at  the  wharf-side,  amongst  the  sail-boats,  telling  yarns 
to  old  cronies  of  their  experiences  many  years  ago,  and 
prophesying  fair  or  foul  weather  on  the  morrow. 

Nearly  all   the  business  done  in  Nantucket  is  connected 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  31 

with  the  sea,  or  with  summer  boarders,  who  come  here 
every  season  in  great  numbers.  Some  of  the  old  captains' 
stories  of  the  severe  winters  on  this  island  are  of  a  pitiful 
nature.  Oftentimes  six  weeks  have  elapsed  before  a  steamer 
could  enter  the  harbor,  on  account  of  the  ice.  With  the 
mails,  etc.,  cut  off  from  the  mainland,  these  isolated  people 
have  to  content  themselves  as  best  they  can. 

A  lighthouse  is  erected  on  the  part  nearest  the  dangerous 
shoal  water  of  the  harbor,  to  warn  the  mariner  of  his  peril ;. 
for  in  stirring  business  times,  years  ago,  wrecks  were  of 
common  occurrence.  There  was  a  time  when  Nantucket  was 
a  rendezvous  for  a  vast  fleet  of  whalers.  Those  were  busy 
days,  before  the  discovery  of  coal  oil,  when  the  whale-ships 
would  be  home  after  a  four  years'  cruise,  riding  at  anchor 
outside,  waiting  to  be  lightered  by  the  "camels"  over  the 
sand-bar  into  port.  In  these  later  years  Nantucket  has 
taken  a  new  lease  'of  prosperity,  for  visitors  have  found  its- 
worth  in  the  invigorating  breezes  ;  handsome  villas  are  being 
erected  on  its  bluffs,  and  success  seems  once  more  to  per 
vade  the  island.  The  bluefish  in  these  waters  are  very  pro 
lific  in  the  season,  being  caught  both  by  sail-boat  and  from 
the  surf.  The  sport  in  July  and  the  following  months  is- 
quite  exciting.  From  the  south  shore,  or  Surfside,  may  be 
seen  daily  a  long  line  of  men  and  boys,  old  hands  and 
amateur  fishermen,  throwing  their  lengthy  trolling  lines  be 
yond  the  breakers.  Of  course,  the  natives  can  throw  the 
furthest  (lasso  fashion),  and  consequently  catch  most  and 
largest  of  the  bluefish.  It  is  no  uncommon  afternoon's 
catch  to  take  as  many  as  one  hundred  fish  per  man,  if  he  is 
an  experienced  sportsman.  A  scene  of  some  excitement  to 
the  novice  is  to  see  the  fine,  struggling  twelve-pounders 
dragged  through  the  surfy  water  to  the  beach  in  such  quick 
succession ;  it  is  enough  to  bewilder  a  non-fisherman  or 
landsman. 

Nantucket  is  famed  for  its  fish  of  delicious  flavor,  and  we 
can  fairly  testify  to  the  epicurean  treat  they  were  to  us  in 
quality  and  freshness  ;  the  size  and  numbers  of  which  would 
have  amazed  our  old  angler  friend,  "Isaak  Walton,"  of 
years  ago,  in  his  gentle  but  slow  piscatory  rambles  in  the 
quiet  nooks  of  the  English  rivers. 


32  GAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

Such  a  glut  of  bluefish  are  captured  in  the  season  in  and 
about  Nantucket,  that  one  cent  a  pound  is  all  that  is  offered 
in  the  town,  but  more  is  gained  by  sending  them  to  the  main 
land,  and  each  steamer  carries  out  a  good  cargo  every  trip. 
The  late  Mr.  O'Connor,  of  the  jurisprudence  law  reputation, 
from  New  York,  had  a  fine  mansion  built  on  the  cliffs. 
The  outlook  from  the  summit  of  the  residence  is  one  of  the 
best  views  on  the  island.  The  beneficial  sea  breeze  is  here 
felt  in  all  its  healthy  intensity,  and  one  is  not  surprised  at 
the  choice  of  the  invalided  and  aged  proprietor  of  the  hand 
some  dwelling  preferring  his  home  on  the  bluffs  to  any  other. 
The  breezes  from  the  ocean  bestow  such  life-giving,  health- 
restoring,  and  invigorating  aspirations  of  strength,  that  the 
sojourner  at  Nantucket  cannot  be  a  long  time  in  precarious 
health  when  that  splendid  natural  tonic,  the  breath  of  the 
ocean,  is  so  soothing,  pure,  and  strengthening,  in  its  foamy 
beauty,  to  the  invalid  and  others  in  want  of  rest,  quiet,  and 
bracing  sea  air.  The  surf  at  South  Shore,  when  the  wind  is 
favorable  for  it,  is  a  sight  of  surpassing  grandeur.  In  the 
thousands  of  miles  one  has  travelled,  this  magnificent  scene, 
in  its  peculiar  style,  surpasses  all  (Niagara  excepted).  For 
many  leagues,  the  grand,  unbroken  line  of  surf -breakers  roll 
proudly  and  defiantly  on  the  beautiful  sandy  beach,  each 
succeeding  one  of  the  incoming  huge  waves  trying,  as  it 
were,  to  outdo  the  other,  in  their  superb  velocity  of  forming, 
breaking,  and  receding,  leaving  the  fine,  sandy  promenade 
immediately  dry.  Many  hundreds  of  visitors  in  summer 
time  take  the  little  railway  ride  from  Nantucket  to  Surf  side, 
to  view  this  famed,  oceanic,  natural  sight.  Once  a  year 
an  agricultural  fair  is  held,  adjacent  to  the  town.  "The 
selection  of  the  site  for  the  fair-grounds  was  charming,  but 
the  poor,  thin-looking  cattle  were  pitiful  to  behold  ;  and  so 
few  in  number,  any  one,  to  look  at  the  dejected  animals 
munching  corn-stalks  ravenously,  would  have  imagined  a 
famine  to  have  happened  on  the  island.  To  call  this  gath 
ering  of  a  few  lean  cows  a  cattle  fair,  is  about  as  consistent 
as  calling  a  good-sized  farm  the  universe  ;  but  as  the  drouth 
of  the  past  season  (1882),  some  farmers  explained,  was  the 
cause  of  the  poor  exhibition,  we  trust  the  next  summer's  will 
be  more  bountiful.  Some  few  good-sized  yokes  of  oxen 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  33 

were  here,  and  they,  like  the  other  animals,  were  devouring 
corn-cobs  with  avidity. 

Returning  from  the  fair-grounds,  we  ascended  the  tower 
of  the  highest  church  in  the  city,  and  most  unfortunately 
arrived  on  the  staircase  of  the  belfry  just  as  the  great  bell 
of  the  clock  began  to  strike  the  hours  ;  it  sounded  so  loud 
and  struck  so  suddenly  that  we  nearly  lost  our  balance,  and 
were  almost  precipitated  down  the  steep  stairs.  On  the 
summit  of  the  tower  is  a  lookout  room,  guarded  by  two  old 
men,  whose  duty  it  is  to  take  turns  in  watching  over  the 
island,  night  and  day  ;  in  case  of  fire,  to  give  the  alarm  ;  for  a 
splendid  view  is  here  of  the  island  and  ocean.  On  descend 
ing,  we  met  the  town  crier  (a  noted  character)  peering 
through  the  crevices  of  the  slats  of  the  belfry  tower,  on  the 
lookout  for  any  passing  events,  such  as  an  overdue  steamer 
or  a  strange  sail,  —  in  fact,  anything  of  an  interesting  or 
sensational  kind,  —  which  is  duly  chronicled  in  due  time, 
making  the  town  resound  with  the  echo  of  his  tin  horn  and 
unintelligible,  cracked  voice,  telling  of  wonderful  news.  A 
few  days  after  our  leaving  Nantucket,  President  Arthur  and 
suite  landed  here  for  a  brief  visit  of  a  few  hours'  duration, 
the  government  steamer  "  Dispatch  "  lying  at  anchor  outside 
the  bar  meanwhile.  What  the  eccentric  town  crier  could 
have  said  then,  would  be  difficult  to  state  in  these  pages  ;  one 
can  only  imagine  he  must  have  almost  choked  himself  with 
excitement  and  importance  during  the  stay  of  the  chief  mag 
istrate  of  this  vast  continent  on  the  breezy  island.  The 
presidential  party  was  taken,  by  prominent  citizens,  to  Surf- 
side  and  other  points  of  interest  in  Nantucket,  all  of  which 
they  were  well  pleased  with,  and  enjoyed  very  much. 

Since  writing  the  above,  various  improvements  and  ex 
tensions  have  taken  place  around  and  about  Nantucket. 
The  narrow-gauge  railway  line  has  been  extended  from  the 
steamboat  wharf  to  Siasconset  via  Surf  side.  The  quaint  old 
town  of  'Sconset,  of  sandy-soil  reminiscences,  is  brought 
within  easy  access  to  visitors  and  others.  The  breakwater, 
when  completed,  will  be  a  valuable  aid  to  mariners. 

And  ere  we  close  of  breezy  Nantucket,  let  us  remark  the 
strong  feeling  of  Sabbath  observance  and  reverence  that  was 
very  noticeable  amongst  many  of  the  sailing  masters  of  this 


34  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

island.  Very  few  owners  of  sailing  craft  unfurl  their  sails 
on  Sunday ;  the  bronzed,  weather-beaten,  and  rigid-looking 
sailor  countenances  shake  their  heads,  u  No,"  in  answer  to 
Sunday  trips.  A  deep  respect  is  evinced  by  some  of  these 
mariners  for  a  reverence  of  the  Sabbath  Day,  —  a  grateful 
feeling  of  thanks  for  another  week  of  safety  and '  preserva 
tion  from  the  perils  of  the  deep,  and  they  thus  wish  to  keep 
holy  the  sacred  day  by  quietude  and  restful  behavior. 
Rough  and  somewhat  uncouth  as  these  Nantucket  seamen 
are,  yet  they  have  hearts  within  them  that  recognize  the 
Divine  power ;  and  no  class  of  men  have  better  opportuni 
ties  of  judging,  when  on  the  ocean,  of  the  might  and  strength 
of  the  Almighty's  will,  than  they  have,  when  brought  into 
contact  with  a  stormy  sea,  and  the  wonderful  contrast  of  sun 
shine  and  a  still  water,  thus  having  ever  vividly  before  their 
minds  the  beneficent  power  of  the  great  Ruler  of  elements. 

Nantucket  Jail. 

An  obscure-looking  building  —  once  a  farmhouse,  of  small 
dimensions  —  is  termed,  in  fancy  parlance.  u  the  jail  of  the 
island."  The  building  must  have  been  made  near  one  hun 
dred  years  ago,  of  rough-hewn  logs,  and  then  modernized 
from  its  antiquity  by  being  sheathed  or  shingled.  On  our 
entering  the  yard,  a  young  woman  approached  us,  key  in 
hand,  for  us  to  inspect  the  Nantucket  prison.  She  explained 
that  her  father  was  away  that  morning,  and  no  prisoners 
were  confined  there  at  present,  and  that  the  place  was  simple, 
whitewashed  rooms,  with  barred  windows  and  very  low- 
studded  ceilings,  all  of  which  we  found  quite  true  in  its 
veracity. 

Since  our  visit  to  Nantucket,  quite  a  noted  prisoner  is 
incarcerated  there,  a  William  H.  Chadwick,  who  was  the 
trusted  cashier  of  the  Pacific  Bank  of  that  town.  The  em 
bezzlement  of  sixty  thousand  dollars  has  caused  his  deten 
tion  in  the  county  jail.  Though  the  imprisonment  is  almost 
a  sinecure,  the  food  of  the  prisoner  coming  from  the  keeper's 
tablo,  he  can  go  out  in  the  yard  in  the  daytime,  —  that 
means  there  is  no  confinement,  —  or  go  further  in  the  town, 
if  he  chooses,  as  he  is  trusted  by  the  keeper,  but,  of  course, 
must  be  in  by  nightfall,  and  not  go  off  the  island. 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  35 

The  saddest  part  of  this  narrative  is  the  fall  of  a  once 
honest  man  ;  and  the  anguish  of  an  invalid  wife  and  the  slur 
of  the  world  on  the  man's  innocent  children  are  not  pleasant 
mementos  to  the  embezzler's  mind,  even  though  his  island 
captivity  is  not  a  very  severe  affair ;  yet  the  stain  is  there,  of 
the  once  trusted  official. 

'Sconset. 

Not  all  the  transient  life  of  the  island  is  visible  at  Nan- 
tucket  village,  by  any  means ;  there  is  a  quantity  of  it  at 
'Sconset.  'Sconset  is  seven  miles  distant  from  the  landing 
wharf,  and  when  first  discovered  by  the  tourist  who  ventured 
so  far,  was  a  village  inhabited  by  fishermen,  a  hamlet  that 
was  of  little  one-story  boxes  of  houses,  all  shingled  down 
the  sides,  and  centring  upon  a  town  pump,  where  it  was  so- 
sandy  that  the  cnrts  were  furnished  with  barrels  for  wheels. 
Apropos  of  this,  the  writer  and  an  artist  friend  lately  drove 
over  from  Nantucket  through  a  sort  of  scrub,  or  miniature 
pine,  forest,  without  a  vesture  of  team  road  to  'Sconset,  with 
the  express  intention  to  see  the  old  place,  and  sketch  the 
barrel  team.  After  some  research,  one  of  the  antiques  was 
unearthed,  and  drawn  out  into  daylight,  when  the  artist  was- 
in  the  seventh  heaven  of  delight  at  finding  such  a  prize  for 
a  sketch  in  his  coming  picture  ;  while  he  worked,  the  narra 
tor  walked  along  the  fine  sandy  beach,  and  explored.  The 
bathing-ground  appeared  very  precipitous,  and  somewhat 
dangerous,  running  steeply  down  into  the  sea,  but  it  did  not 
deter  young  men  and  maidens  from  venturing  in  the  delight 
ful  surf.  Ropes,  fastened  to  stout  stakes,  are  provided  for 
the  venturesome  bathers  to  lay  hold  of,  and  prevent  them 
selves  from  being  carried  away  by  the  undertow. 

Our  artist  friend  sketched  the  large  lighthouse  on  the 
cliffs,  and  finished  the  sand  cart,  also  drawing  some  groups, 
of  figures  on  the  sands,  winding  up  by  strolling  amongst  the 
fishermen's  homes,  now  chiefly  tenanted  by  city  folks  in  the 
season  ;  we  then  took  our  leave  of  old-fashioned  'Sconset, 
got  into  the  carriage,  lighted  another  cigar,  and  drove  home 
ward  to  the  hotel  at  Nantucket,  with  good  appetites  to  enjoy 
a  portion  of  broiled  bluefish  and  other  condiments. 

During  our  afternoon  visit  to  'Sconset,  one  of  those  fitful,, 


36  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

unpleasant,  vapory  fogs  at  intervals  enveloped  the  place 
with  its  shadowy  embrace,  so  much  so  that  the  artist  could 
not  thoroughly  see  his  views  necessary  for  what  the  wanted  ; 
the  fog  cleared  off  somewhat,  then  came  on  again,  more  vio 
lent  than  ever,  making  our  ride  home  a  chilly  one.  In  the 
fall  of  the  year  the  island  is  occasionally  visited  with  this 
misty  pest,  in  the  same  way  as  at  New  Bedford,  New  York, 
and  other  localities  ;  being  situated  near  the  water,  the  fog  at 
times  continues  for  days  without  intermission. 

The  river  Thames,  London,  England,  in  the  autumn  of 
the  year,  has  the  same  misery  to  put  up  with,  as  in  America  ; 
though  it  is  oftentimes  remarked  in  the  United  States  that 
fogs  are  only  to  be  found  in  the  Old  Country,  any  one  who 
has  travelled  some  on  this  continent  will  find  that  the  New 
Country  is  blessed  with  the  unpleasant  infliction,  as  well  as 
the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic. 

A  continuation  of  the  Nantucket  &  Surfside  Railway  at 
'Sconset  now  gives  the  visitor  a  quicker  and  less  expensive 
route,  though  the  ride  by  team  is  preferable  to  a  lover  of 
Nature  ;  in  every  case  where  convenient,  in  the  rambles  of 
the  author,  he  ever  preferred  the  primitive  coach,  stage, 
buggy,  or  even  sleigh  riding,  as  a  diversified  change  from 
speedy  locomotive  car  travelling.  Of  course,  we  are  speak 
ing  now  of  short  journe3"s. 

Wauwinet. 

Wauwinet  is  a  delightful  sail  of  one  hour's  duration  across 
the  harbor  from  Nantucket's  landing  place.  A  pleasant,  safe, 
well-managed  little  craft  sails  morning  and  afternoon  (Sun 
days  excepted)  to  this  seaside  resort.  Wauwinet  is  noted  for 
its  shore  dinners,  and  the  comfortable,  cosy,  primitive  hotel  is 
generally  crowded  with  boarders  in  the  season,  —  regular  and 
transient.  The  little  cruise  across,  being  generally  a  smooth 
pleasure  ride,  is  patronized  a  good  deal,  —  particularly  by  the 
ladies  and  children  ;  but  sometimes,  by  adverse  winds,  the  re 
turn  is  delayed  to  some  three  hours,  by  tacking;  and  if  it 
blows  somewhat  fresh,  the  sea  becomes  rough  and  unpleasant ; 
generally  speaking,  however,  the  sail  is  delightfully  smooth. 
Two  fishing-lines  were  lent  by  the  captain  to  the  passengers, 
a  few  bluefish  were  caught  on  the  journey,  the  voracious 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  37 

fish  snapping  at  a  large  piece  of  bright  metal,  the  hook  being 
attached  to  it,  and  in  the  velocity  of  the  trolling  has  the 
appearance  of  a  bait  —  the  delusion  unhappily  often  ends 
fatally  for  Mr.  Bluefish.  While  strolling  along  the  beach 
at  Wauwinet,  we  saw  a  sand  shark  of  large  size  lying 
there,  rotting  in  the  noonday  sun  ;  these  monsters  abound 
here  in  these  waters,  but  are  not  the  species  of  man-eating 
sharks ;  some  fishermen  in  Nantucket  occasionally  catch 
them,  as  the  livers  are  considered  good  for  different  medical 
purposes. 

Woods  Holl  and  Quisset. 

The  channel  steamer's  route  from  New  Bedford  to  Oak 
Bluffs  and  Nantucket  has  to  be  made  through  a  somewhat 
narrow,  dangerous,  rocky  highway  called  "  Woods  Holl"; 
this  portion  of  Buzzard's  Bay  is  noted  for  its  deep,  stony  beHs 
of  rock ;  and  only  experienced  pilots  or  captains  that  know 
the  tides  and  currents  care  to  cross  this  chasm  of  water  and 
granite.  With  such  velocity  does  the  water  dash  through  and 
around  these  rocky  beds  that  the  rudders  of  vessels  are 
scarcely  manageable,  and  no  steamer  or  sailing  vessel 
scarcely  ever  ventures  through  Woods  Holl  at  night,  but  go 
round  by  way  of  Quick's  Hole,  some  nine  miles  farther,  to 
avoid  the  miniature  w4  Hell  Gate."  We  trust,  however,  as 
millions  of  dollars  have  been  granted  by  Senate  and  Con 
gress  for  the  improvement  of  rivers  and  harbors  of  the 
United  States,  that  a  small  portion  may  be  used  to  clear  a 
free  passage  in  this  most  needed  place  as  soon  as  possible. 
About  three  miles  farther  on  from  Woods  Holl  landing  is  a 
very  pretty  isolated  little  inlet  or  small  bay —  Quisset,  form 
ing  a  snug  harbor  for  yachtsmen  on  a  short  cruise  to  run  in 
and  spend  the  evening,  previous  to  the  morning's  sail.  Good 
hotel  accommodation  is  here,  where  some  nice  dinners  are 
served,  as  the  writer  and  his  friends  can  testify ;  also 
some  excellent  fishing  is  to  be  had  in  these  waters  ;  and  for 
quiet-minded  individuals  and  invalids,  we  would  recommend 
Quisset  as  just  the  place  to  go  to  for  a  pleasant  short  vaca 
tion,  to  rest  the  mind  and  invigorate  the  body  by  the  healthy 
sea  breeze  blowing  across  the  land,  where  the  visitor  can 
ruminate  at  will,  with  little  or  no  interruption  from  the 
outside  world. 


38  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 


Cod-Fishing   at   No-Man's   Land. 

A  party  of  friends  invited  the  writer  of  these  pages  to  a 
cod-fishing  trip  in  a  sloop  yacht  of  moderate  size,  4i  The 
Starling,"  to  the  fishing-ground  at  the  eastern  point  of 
Martha's  Vineyard,  called  k'  No-Man's  Land."  It  was 
somewhat  early  in  the  season,  the  commencement  of  May, 
and  uncertain  weather  for  amateur  fishermen  to  venture  on 
the  briny  deep  all  night ;  we  never  thought  of  that,  .but 
started  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  from  the  dock  at  New 
Bedford,  all  hands  in  good  spirits  at  the  supposed  fun  we 
were  to  have  ;  and  the  wives  and  children  of  the  married  men 
-came  to  the  wharf  with  tearful  eyes  to  bid  us  good-by,  as  if  we 
were  going  off  for  a  journey  to  the  North  Pole,  instead  of  a 
two  days'  cruise  to  the  fishing  banks.  All  being  in  readiness, 
the  captain  and  his  mate  hoisted  sail,  and  away  we  scudded 
before  the  wind,  and  speedily  got  outside  the  harbor  to 
anchor  at  Naushon  for  the  night.  The  first  mistake  we 
made  was,  for  most  of  us,  to  begin  smoking  briar-root  pipes 
and  cigars  in  the  close  little  cabin  below,  scarce!}7  large 
enough  to  hold  six  persons,  but  which  double  that  number 
managed  to  crowd  into  ;  and  in  the  mean  while,  as  we  were 
spinning  yarns,  singing  songs,  etc.,  the  weather  had  sud 
denly  changed  bitterly  cold,  and  the  sea  became  very  rough 
and  unpleasant,  with  the  sharp,  breezy  wind  blowing  squally, 
necessitating  closing  down  the  hatchway  and  making  things 
"taut"  in  general  for  the  coming  gale;  but,  unfortunately, 
in  making  secure  from  wind  and  weather,  the  captain  forgot 
that  he  thus  prevented  the  only  means  of  egress  of  the  stale 
smoke  from  escaping.  Never  in  one's  lifetime  can  be  for 
gotten  the  miseries  of  that  night ;  inhaling  the  cigar  and 
tobacco  smoke  and  each  other's  breaths,  brought  on  most 
•excruciating  headaches  and  tortures  of  seasickness  of  the 
very  worst  kind  ;  added  to  which,  there  were  but  few  bunks 
-or  sleeping  places,  so  each  fisherman  did  the  best  he  could, 
under  the  circumstances,  —  some  lying  down  with  another 
man's  feet  for  his  pillow ;  others  sitting  about,  half  be 
wildered  and  stupefied  ;  others  again,  so  restless  with  the 
vdose  confinement  of  the  miniature  cabin,  had  to  go  on  deck, 
.to  be  speedily  driven  back  by  the  cold,  icy  wind.  The  nar- 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  39 

rator  was  so  unwell  with  seasickness  and  smoke  fumes  that 
he  fervently  prayed  for  daylight,  to  breath  some  pure,  fresh 
air  once  again.  At  length  a  movement  was  made  by  the 
skipper  and  his  mate  from  off  the  cabin  floor,  where  they  had 
passed  their  night's  repose,  to  cast  anchor  and  away  to  the 
fishing-ground,  as  it  was  now  just  break  of  day.  The  wind 
had  greatly  freshened  during  the  night,  and  the  cold  was 
most  intense,  so  much  so  that  the  kindness  of  the  stronger  of 
our  party  was  called  into  play  to  the  weaker  ones ;  one  in 
particular  seemed  to  have  an  ague  fit;  a  blanket  and  the 
capt  dn's  oilskin  coat  was  found  for  this  unfortunate,  who 
looked  more  like  the  u  ghost  of  Hamlet's  father"  than  a 
brave  fisherman  at  No-Man's  Land,  suffering,  as  he  was,  from 
the  painful  effect-  of  the  vomiting  and  faintness.  Never  in 
the  experience  of  some  of  us  did  a  day  appear  so  long  and 
tedious,  or  cod-fishing  so  disgusting.  After  a  good  many 
efforts  of  fishing,  and  changing  the  yacht's  course,  the  sport 
was  abandoned  for  a  time,  and  a  chowder  was  cooked  and 
discussed  by  those  whose  stomachs  could  retain  the  mess, — 
the  smell  alone  being  enough  for  most  of  us. 

At  length  (to  the  writer's  great  relief) ,  after  trying  one 
spot  and  then  another  all  day,  and  the  fishing-ground  hav 
ing  proved  mostly  a  failure,  the  word  was  given,  "About 
ship  "  for  home  —  New  Bedford  !  No  words  sounded  dearer 
to  the  sick  man  lying  on  his  back  in  the  little  cabin,  racked 
as  he  was  with  suffering  and  nausea.  The  sloop  "  Starling  " 
was  a  ^stanch,  good  boat  to  have  withstood  the  strain,  of  that 
gale  on  her  home  stretch  ;  the  waves  continually  dashed  over 
the  deck  of  the  little  craft  every  moment,  and  the  wind  get 
ting  stronger  as  evening  closed  in,  made  it  dangerous  for 
those  who  were  able  to  remain  on  deck.  The  skipper  was 
an  experienced  mariner,  and  remained  at  the  tiller  almost 
motionless,  steering  with  a  firm  hand,  and  his  eagle  eyes 
sharply  looking  aloft  at  the  sails,  and  giving  occasional 
orders  to  his  mate  and  others  able  to  assist.  Great  praise 
is  due  to  the  captain  of  that  little  vessel  and  his  assistant 
for  bringing  us  back  safe  and  sound  from  injury.  Out  of 
the  eleven  of  us  that  went  this  miserable  journey,  some  nine 
were  suffering  more  or  less  with  cold  or  seasickness,  and  one 
young  man  was  heard  to  exclaim  (when  at  his  worst  extrem- 


40  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

ity)  that  he  would  willingly  pay  a  thousand  dollars  to  be 
placed  at  that  moment  on  terra  firma.  For  days  afterwards- 
some  of  our  party  still  suffered  from  the  effects  of  the  cold 
and  exposure,  and  one  or  two  of  them  had  to  pay  visits  to 
the  dentist  for  tooth-pulling,  to  allay  the  gnawing  pain  of 
face-ache.  No  permanent  injury  remained ;  while  the  ma 
jority  of  the  fishermen  hesitate  now,  when  a  cod-fishing  trip 
is  spoken  of  early  in  May,  off  No-Man's  Land. 

The   American   War   Ship    "  Kearsarge." 

The  celebrated  war  steamer  "  Kearsarge  "  anchored  in  New 
Bedford  Roads  in  the  summer  of  1882.  As  is  pretty  well 
known,  this  renowned  vessel  destroyed  the  steamship  "  Ala 
bama  "  in  the  late  Civil  War  between  North  and  South.  It 
may  be  remembered  by  some  of  the  older  of  my  readers  that 
this  steamer  "  Alabama"  preyed  upon  all  small  merchant 
men  of  the  North,  invariably  avoiding  one  of  its  own  calibre 
and  tonnage  ;  thus  many  lives  and  much  treasure  was  lost  to 
the  North  by  the  privateering  acts  of  this  fleet-sailing  South 
erner.  At  length  a  day  of  reckoning  came.  The  "  Kear 
sarge,"  after  many  fruitless  wanderings,  came  and  anchored 
opposite  a  French  port,  where  the  "Alabama"  had  taken 
refuge.  Seeing  no  alternative,  Capt  Semmes,  of  the  South 
ern  vessel,  sailed  out  and  gave  fight  to  his  enemy.  A  shortr 
sharp,  decisive  battle  of  cannonading  destroyed  the  terror  of 
small  craft.  Amidst  the  confusion  and  cries  of  the  wounded 
and  dying,  Capt.  Semmes  escaped  in  a  yacht  cruising  in  sight 
of  the^ naval  engagement,  thus  avoiding  being  taken  prisoner, 
most  of  his  officers  also  escaping  in  the  same  way. 

When,  on  driving  around  by  the  1'oint  road,  New  Bed 
ford  (a  fine  esplanade  near  the  city) ,  one  could  get  a  good 
view  of  the  noble  vessel,  the  "Kearsarge,"  as  she  lay  idly 
at  anchor  in  our  harbor,  on  some  peaceful  government  mis 
sion,  one  could  but  ruminate  what  a  grand  service  this  brave 
old  ship  had  done,  some  eighteen  years  ago,  when  party 
feeling  and  party  strife  ran  very  bitter.  Capt.  Winslow,  of 
the  "  Kearsarge,"  might  well  be  complimented  on  his  sea 
manship  and  bravery,  in  conjunction  with  his  officers  and 
men,  by  conquering*  the  swift  "Alabama,"  and  with  one 
dread  blow  stop  the  marauding  vessel  from  doing  further 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  41 

mischief.  The  stars  and  stripes  waved  gently  at  the  peak 
of  the  man-of-war  of  such  renown,  as  we  passed  her,  an 
emblem  of  stability  of  the  preservation  of  the  Union  for 
which  so  many  fought  and  bled,  — sad  enough  to  remember, 
even  at  this  length  of  time,  —  yet  with  results  so  lasting,  and 
blest,  we  trust,  with  much  good,  in  the  keeping  together  of 
a  great  people  under  one  flag,  and  in  the  abolition  of  that 
plague  spot,  the  slavery  curse  of  the  South,  which  once  so 
blighted  this  wide  domain  and  fair  land  of  America  A 
dearly  purchased  freedom,  one  would  s.-iy,  in  the  tragic  ending 
of  the  Civil  War  by  the  death  of  the  nation's  idol,  Abraham 
Lincoln,  and  his  brave  army  of  heroic  citizen  soldiers  ! 

Block  Island. 

During  the  summer  season,  a  number  of  pleasant  excur 
sions  take  place  from  New  Bedford,  by  the  steamer  "  Mono- 
hanset,"  one  of  which  is  the  sail  to  Block  Island  and  return 
the  same  day  ;  the  distance  is  about  fifty  miles  from  New 
Bedford,  and  twelve  miles  from  Newport.  If  the  weather 
is  favorable  and  the  sea  smooth,  much  enjoyment  is  got  out 
of  the  trip  ;  but  if  the  bay  is  boisterous,  good-by  for  comfort 
to  the  sufferer.  The  day  our  party  went  proved  to  be  an 
exceptionally  fine  one  ;  the  water  was  as  smooth  as  a  lake, 
and  the  sun's  rays  played  in  and  out  of  the  saloon,  as  if  also 
pleased  with  the  occasion  ;  music  on  board  chanted  its  strains 
merrily,  as  we  sailed  along  at  good  speed  in  the  invigorating 
sea  breeze.  Arriving  at  our  destination,  we  found  a  large 
excursion  steamer,  from  Newport,  had  just  come  in,  full  of 
merry  faces,  —  young  and  old,  — all  charmed  with  the  beauty 
and  pleasures  of  the  day.  With  some  friends  we  visited  the 
lighthouse,  —one  of  the  many  line  apparatuses  this  country 
so  humanely  possesses,  to  warn  the  benighted  mariner  of  his 
peril  on  this  coast.  Let  me  tell  the  reader,  however,  when 
paying  a  visit  to  Block  Island,  to  avoid  walking  through 
fields  and  jumping  over  stone  walls,  on  a  scorching  hot  day, 
to  visit  the  lighthouse  ;  the  distance  is  too  far  to  walk  ;  better 
to  ride  by  team  than  run  the  risk  of  sunstroke,  for  it  seemed 
as  if  one  could  never  get  cool  again  after  that  sultrv  stroll 
across  lots.  The  visitors  picnicked  on  the  green  sward,  near 


42  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

a  fine  spring  of  pure  mineral  water,  while  others  went  to  the 
various  hotels  for  dinner,  and  the  three  hours  allotted  us  by 
the  genial  captain  of  the  steamer  k'  Monohanset,"  before 
returning  homeward,  were  much  enjoyed  on  that  breezy  even 
ing  sail  across  Buzzard's  Bay  to  New  Bedford. 

Let  us  add,  however,  a  second  journey,  in  August,  1883,  to 
Block  Island,  proved  very  unfavorable  to  the  travellers  ;  the 
fine  day  at  starting  and  the  treacherous,  calm  look  of  the  bay 
lured  us  sufferers  to  our  doom  of  terrible  seasickness.  Of  the 
number  of  five  hundred  passengers,  two  thirds  were  sick,  with 
a  vengeance,  going  and  returning ;  the  undertow,  or  ground 
swell,  caused  the  steamer  to  roll  with  a  sideward  movement 
that  upset  our  stomachs  to  a  painful  degree,  every  white- 
faced  voyager  vowing  vengeance  against  the  journey  on  a 
rolling  day.  The  surf,  however,  was  a  grand  sight  to  behold, 
in  its  fierce  magnitude.  Some  friends  —  amongst  them  two 
or  three  young  ladies — tried  to  appear  brave,  but  finally 
collapsed,  and  paid  their  respects  to  old  Father  Ocean,  like 
the  rest  of  us. 

In  September,  1889,  occurred  one  of  the  fiercest  gales  on 
the  Atlantic  seaboard,  which  will  long  be  remembered. 
Coney  Island  was  submerged,  the  hotels  in  part  destroyed ; 
Long"  Branch  and  Rockaway  Beach  had  tidal  waves  that 
swept  all  before  them.  Innumerable  were  the  wrecks  and 
loss  of  life  of  this  week's  terrible  gale,  and  the  brave 
deeds  of  the  life-saving  men,  who  did  heroic  and  noble  acts 
of  daring. to  save  poor  struggling  souls  clinging  to  masts 
of  doomed  vessels.  Block  Island,  of  course,  with  its  wild, 
tempestuous  sea,  came  in  for  its  share  of  storm  tide.  The 
steamer  "Mount  Hope,"  which  left  Providence  for  Block 
Island,  Saturday,  Sept.  8,  with  passengers,  could  not  return 
for  them  till  about  a  week,  and  the  benighted  and  bewildered 
people  had  to  remain  on  the  island  and  live  on  fish  at  the 
hotels  till  the  gale  abated.  Some  friends  of  the  writer,  who 
were  detained  on  the  island,  describe  the  sight  of  the  rolling 
sea  and  the  immense  raising  of  the  surf  as  a  spectacle 
almost  beyond  description  in  its  fierce  grandeur. 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  43 


President  Harrison  at  Newport,  R.  I.,  July  5,  1889. 

Newport  has  had  the  honor  of  welcoming  many  Presidents 
of  the  United  States  to  its  shores,  and  to-day  extends  the 
hand  of  friendship  to  Gen.  Benjamin  Harrison  and  the  dis 
tinguished  gentlemen  accompanying  him.  The  government 
steamer  "Despatch"  brought  the  presidential  party  from 
New  London,  who  were  received  by  Gov.  Ladd  and  Sen 
ator  Aldrich  and  dockyard  officials.  The  President  and 
Secretary  Tracy,  pf  the  navy,  and  a  large  party  of  notable 
guests  inspected  the  torpedo  station,  where  several  experi 
ments  were  made  of  that  wonderful  invention.  A  salute  of 
twenty-one  torpedoes  was  fired  from  the  island  with  fine 
effect,  the  volume  of  water  thrown  being  immense.  A  brief 
visit  to  the  training  ship  for  boys  was  much  enjoyed  by  the 
presidential  party,  but  the  short  stay  was  not  long  enough  to 
please  the  youngsters  and  their  officers,  who  wanted  to  show 
at  some  length  their  marine  evolutions  to  the  Washington 
guests.  The  party,  on  returning  in  the  captain's  gig,  from 
the  bow  of  which  floated  the  President's  flag,  found  carriages 
in  waiting  at  the  Navy  Yard  wharf,  to  convey  the  visitors  to 
the  State  House  of  Newport,  to  be  present  at  an  informal 
reception  of  the  public  generally  between  five  and  six 
o'clock  p.  M.  Promptly  on  time  the  party  drove  up  to  the 
building,  when  the  President  alighted  and  wearily  ascended 
the  steps  of  the  State  House,  in  company  with  Secretary 
Tracy,  Senators  Aldrich  and  Dixon  of  Rhode  Island,  Gov. 
Ladd,  Mayor  Coggeshall,  and  other  gentlemen,  who  stood  in 
a  semicircle  and  received  a  motley  crowd  of  men,  women, 
and  children,  white  and  colored,  who  eagerly  streamed  into 
the  building,  and  shook  hands  with  most  of  the  presidential 
party.  A  cordon  of  policemen  had  to  prevent  curiosity 
mongers  from  halting  in  the  passageway,  as  many  of  the 
"presented"  would  linger,  and  ask  ridiculous  questions. 
The  President  appeared  a  very  tired  man  ;  pale  and  ashen  his 
complexion  looked,  partly,  no  doubt,  from  the  fatigue  and 
heat  of  the  July  day,  though  his  good-nature  showed  itself 
by  his  quiet,  amused  smile  and  a  bow,  as  he  greeted  us  as 
we  advanced  and  passed  along  out  by  the  west  exit  of  the 
State  House.  At  6.40  it  was  found  necessary  to  close  the 


44  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

doors,  on  account,  we  suppose,  of  the  fatigue  of  shaking 
hands  with  some  fifteen  hundred  people.  Among  those  pre 
sented  was  an  infant  of  a  Mrs.  Burdick,  who,  with  its 
mother,  was  a  survivor  of  the  Johnstown  flood.  The  baby 
was  taken  in  the  arms  of  each  of  the  receiving  party  in  turn, 
and  kissed.  The  child,  when  grown  up,  will  be  proud  of 
the  honor,  no  doubt,  of  being  caressed  by  such  a  renowned 
company.  A  grand  dinner  in  the  evening  was  given  at 
Gov.  Ladd's  cottage,  on  Bellevue  Avenue,  to  the  President 
and  his  party,  augmented  by  a  number  of  select  Newport 
guests  of  distinguished  character.  At  12  p.  M.  the  party 
embarked  on  board  the  steamer  k4  Despatch"  for  New  York, 
and  when  opposite  the  island,  the  great  marine  search-light 
flashed  out  from  the  torpedo  station,  and  a  huge  column 
of  water  shot  up  in  the  wake  of  the  illuminator.  It  was 
the  parting  salute  to  the  "  Despatch  "  and  its  notable  pas 
sengers,  who  had  had  such  a  brief  but  such  a  thoroughly 
enjoyable  time  in  the  capital  of  little  Rhode  Island. 

Newport  in  the  Season  of  July  and  August,  1889. 

Newport,  as  a  resort  of  wealth  and  fashion,  is  perhaps 
unrivalled  during  the  summer  months,  and  a  fair  share  of  the 
plebian  classes  also  enjoy  its  many  attractions  of  beach, 
bathing,  and  pleasant  avenue  drives.  To  a  weary  city  man, 
a  visit  to  Newport  means  renewed  health  and  restored  vigor. 
A  friend  of  mine,  who  has  a  penchant  for  strolling  on  the 
beautiful  beach  of  velvet  sand  at  almost  sunrise,  had  con 
vinced  the  writer  of  its  healthy  effects,  and  often  together  we 
have  rambled  for  a  couple  of  hours,  the  ocean  breeze  fanning 
our  cheeks  with  life-giving  fervor.  A  hearty  breakfast  at 
our  hotel  and  another  visit  to  the  crowded  beach  for  a  bathe 
are  among  the  delights  of  Newport.  The  oce?n  drive,  as  it  is 
termed,  or  a  ride  to  Bailey's  Beach,  gives  a  fine  opportunity 
along  Bellevue  Avenue  to  view  the  many  magnificent 
cottages  and  villas  for  the  wealthy.  The  numerous  stylish 
carriages  and  dog-carts,  or  perhaps  village  carts,  with  clean- 
groomed  horses,  dash  along  the  avenues,  often  driven  by  well- 
dressed  ladies  and  young  girls,  the  grooms  sitting  on  the  back 
seat  complacently,  with  folded  arms.  A  nice  trip  from  New- 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  45 

port  to  Block  Island  or  Narraganset  Pier  is  very  enjoyable,. 
or  to  Brenton  Reef  lightship,  and  sail  around  the  harbor, 
passing  Fort  Adams  and  the  mouth  of  Seconnet  River.  The 
last  evening  of  our  stay  a  band  concert  was  given  in  the 
park,  and  fireworks  ;  also  the  old  tower  was  lighted  up  with 
red-fire,  which  gave  quite  a  weird  effect  to  the  hundreds  of 
faces  looking  on.  My  Providence  friend  and  his  daughters 
tired  the  narrator  out  with  the  weariness  of  promenading  on 
a  hot  July  evening,  and  we  all  with  one  mind  returned  to  the 
hotel,  glad  of  rest  on  the  garden  seats  of  the  cool  green 
sward. 

To  drive  along  the  Cliff  road  and  the  avenues  of  Newport 
on  a  sunny  afternoon  is  a  great  delight,  particularly  in  con 
junction  with  the  natural  adornments  of  the  surrounding 
neighborhood  and  the  salt  freshness  of  the  sea-lined  coast ; 
around  you  are  such  palatial  residences  as  only  millionnaires- 
are  supposed  to  live  in  ;  a  pageant  of  equipages  and  a  fleet 
ing  vision  of  fair  faces,  their  beauty  all  aglow  with  the 
splendid  fresh  sea  breeze  and  the  excitement  of  driving  fast 
horses  in  every  species  of  fashionable  cart.  Of  course  New 
port  society  of  upper-ten  is  an  exclusive  one  to  the  class  in 
which  it  belongs,  which  causes  a  sort  of  hauteur  and  reserved- 
ness  within  its  own  circle,  and  which  makes  the  remark  of 
dulness  by  numerous  visitors.  Excitement  and  amusements 
there  surely  are  beneath  that  placid  front,  but  the  eyes  of 
the  multitude  are  forbidden  to  view  the  same.  Then  again,, 
the  Newport  society  belle,  calm  as  she  appears,  if  her  parents 
grant  permission,  at  least  once  a  week  sails  across  the  bay 
to  Narraganset  Pier,  where  the  men  are  said  to  be  so  awfully 
nice,  and  flirting,  dancing,  bathing,  and  ice-cream  eating  are 
the  order  of  the  day  there.  Naturally,  there  is  a  difference 
in  the  gayeties  of  Newport  and  Narraganset;  the  former 
rigidly  exclusive,  the  latter  free  and  easy,  where  all  well- 
dressed-appearing  people  unbend  to  each  other  with  slight 
introductions.  To  see  the  enjoyment  of  the  day's  excursion 
ist  to  Newport  is  quite  a  feature ;  riding  in  the  wagonette  or 
stage  from  steamboat  wharf  to  the  various  beaches  for  a  dip 
in  the  sea  ;  and  on  the  road,  to  watch  the  superciliousness  of 
the  dttinty  miss  or  madame,  as  she  reclines  in  regal  state 
amongst  the  cushions  of  her  carriage,  lazily  and  sometimes 


46  K AMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

haughtily  gazing  with  increased  wonderment  at  the  continual 
encroachment  of  the  masses  of  common,  every-day  people, 
who  have  dared  to  evade  fair  Newport  during  the  season,  is 
a  sight  to  behold.  The  prim  visitor  of  a  Newport  maiden, 
as  she  is  seen  daintily  tiptoeing  down  from  her  bath-house, 
clad  in  a  stylish  bathing  suit  and  silk  stockings,  and  the 
undulating  curves  of  her  agile  body,  makes  a  fascinating 
bather.  Instead  of  splashing  in,  however,  as  the  sturdy 
excursionist  or  her  friends  at  Narraganset  do,  she  toys  for 
some  time  in  getting  out  as  far  as  her  knees,  then  at  last 
makes  a  decision  of  a  little  dive  in  about  two  feet  of  water 
from  a  gentle  wave.  In  contrast  with  this  young  lady's 
primness  in  the  surf,  others  of  her  less-favored  sisters  enjoy 
the  ocean  rollers  as  they  should  be  enjoyed  in  this  glorious 
ocean  bath. 

Sept.  8th  to  the  14th,  of  1889,  was  fraught  with  disastrous 
results  to  the  bathing-beach  restaurant ;  the  cyclone  of  wind 
and  surf  carried  all  before  them,  the  dash  of  the  sea  reaching 
across  the  promenades,  and  the  surf  at  Spouting  Rock  was  a 
sight  to  behold.  This  memorable  time  will  long  be  remem 
bered  as  a  week's  turbulence  of  Old  Ocean,  stretching  along 
the  Atlantic  coast  in  its  violent  agitation  of  upheaviugs. 
The  gale  was  so  severe  that  not  any  passenger  steamer 
could  venture  in  or  out  of  the  harbor  during  this  severe  Sep 
tember  equinoctial  storm. 

In  June  of  each  year  the  Quaker  Society  have  a  reunion  of 
friends  from  all  parts  of  the  States  to  Newport,  and  hold  a 
conference  for  some  days,  to  transact  their  business,  religious 
and  secular,  for  the  ensuing  twelve  months. 

The  British  North  American  Squadron  at  Newport  Harbor. 

The  "  Bellerophou,"  flag-ship  of  Vice-Admiral  Watson, 
the  "Canada"  and  "Partridge,"  war  vessels,  came  into 
Newport  harbor  for  a  few  days-,  on  Aug.  1,  1890,  and  the 
advent  of  these  war  cruisers  was  the  signal  of  a  general 
jubilee  at  the  fashionable  watering-place,  notwithstanding  that 
Prince  George  of  Wales  omitted  to  call  here,  for  thousands 
of  excursionists  came  from  all  parts  of  the  Union,  by  rail  and 
boat.  The  excitement  and  anxiety  to  get  on  board  the 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  47 

44  Bellerophon  "  were  quite  amusing.  A  fleet  of  yachts,  sail 
boats,  and  small  steamers,  crowded  with  people,  were  seen 
hurrying  across  the  bay  from  ten  to  five,  daily,  and  for  a 
novice  to  visit  the  large  war-ship  was  quite  interesting,  par 
ticularly  to  see  the  huge  gun  equipments.  We  were  informed 
that  there  were  twenty  large  cannons,  twenty-four  smaller 
calibre,  and  several  quick-firing  guns,  added  to  which  arma 
ment  about  six  hundred  and  fifty  Jack-tars  and  marines,  all 
fully  armed,  would  make  the  flag-ship  a  formidable  enemy  in 
case  of  need,  though,  of  course,  the  latest  mode  of  warfare 
is  of  more  deadly  character,  with  its  torpedo  boats,  etc. 
During  our  stay  on  board,  an  informal  reception  was  given 
by  Admiral  Watson  on  the  quarter-deck,  to  American  offi 
cers  and  their  ladies,  also  to  Newport's  notables  and  upper- 
ten  cottagers.  A  sentry-guard  was  stationed  at  the  foot  of 
the  staircase,  approaching  the  sacred  precincts  of  the  quarter 
deck,  to  keep  the  excursionists  off,  but  an  old  lady  made  the 
attempt  to  gain  a  footing  on  the  companion-ladder,  when  the 
young  English  soldier  warned  her  aw&y.  "  But,"  she  exclaimed, 
u  I  understood  this  ship  was  free  to  everybody  to-day." 
Visitors  were  courteously  shown  above  and  below  decks ; 
everything  looking  bright  and  neat, — man-of-war  fashion. 
An  episode  happened  during  our  visit :  a  boat-load  of  desert 
ers  had  put  off  to  one  of  the  adjacent  islands,  but  most  of 
the  runaways  were  speedily  recaptured,  two  being  wounded, 
after  some  resistance  to  the  armed  force  sent  after  them ; 
some  few  of  the  men  escaped  into  Newport,  thence  to  Bos 
ton  ;  but  altogether,  it  was  said,  when  the  squadron  left  the 
harbor  two  days  afterwards,  some  sixteen  sailors  and  marines 
were  missing.  When  the  excitement  of  capture  was  over, 
and  the  men  put  in  irons  below,  the  Marine  Band  continued 
its  music  gayly,  the  admiral's  reception  went  on  again,  and 
the  wine  toasts,  no  doubt,  were  repeated.  By  the  healthy- 
looking  condition  of  the  men  of  the  war-ships,  one  is  apt 
to  be  surprised  at  their  desertion  from  duty,  as  they  all  signed 
for  a  three  years'  cruise,  and  sixteen  months  had  already 
elapsed  ;  but  golden  America  (as  some  suppose)  being  close 
at  hand,  was  no  doubt  the  temptation  to  these  young  rovers. 
During  the  squadron's  stay,  the  New  York  Yacht  Club  came 
into  Newport  waters,  and  the  gala  time  at  the  seashore  city 


48  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

was  something  worth  seeing.  Every  evening  the  fleet  of 
yachts  illuminated,  and  Commodore  Gerry's  fine  vessel,  the 
"Electra,"  was  arched  over  by  a  mass  of  electric  lights,, 
causing  a  fine  appearance.  On  Sunday  all  of  the  yachts  in 
the  harbor  were  decorated  with  bunting,  and  the  New  York 
Club-house  was  in  constant  requisition  by  the  steady  flow  of 
well-dressed  and  handsome  ladies  and  their  escort  of  bronzed 
yachtsmen,  coming  over  to  view  the  town  and  pav  calls.  On 
Wednesday,  Aug.  6,  the  English  war-ships  weighed  anchor, 
and  sailed  in  company  for  Halifax,  much  to  the  sorrow  of 
the  Newport  merchants,  who  supplied  large  quantities  of 
stores  to  those  vessels  while  riding  at  anchor. 

Before  leaving  this  favored  spot  of  Nature,  —  Newport,  — 
a  few  words  respecting  the  visit,  which  is  remembered  with 
much  pleasure  A  kindly  invitation  to  spend  a  few  days  at 
a  charming  cottage  on  the  Bluffs,  surrounded  by  its  own 
grounds,  and  overlooking  the  ocean  highway,  was  enjoyed 
with  much  zest;  and  a  horse  and  carriage  placed  at  the 
writer's  disposal,  and  driven  around  to  points  of  interest  by 
my  hospitable  entertainer  and  his  worthy  family,  are  remem 
bered  very  pleasantly  those  sunny  August  days.  The  elec 
tric  cars  on  the  Newport  roads  are  a  source  of  danger  to 
carriage  occupants,  by  frightening  the  horses  to  an  alarming 
degree,  in  some  instances,  though  the  boon  to  the  general 
public  is  great,  in  the  rapid  transit  around  and  about  the  city. 

Dorchester,  Mass.,  Revisited. 

Like  "Rip Van  Winkle, "after  his  twenty  years'  sleep,  the 
writer  of  these  pages  stepped  into  the  good  old  town  of 
Dorchester,  a  place  where  the  author  spent  two  happy  years 
of  his  early  life.  Naturally  one  finds,  after  many  seasons* 
absence,  a  great  many  changes  of  localities  and  individuals 
and  old  landmarks.  Numbers  of  my  friends  had  passed 
away  to  rest ;  while  others,  who  were  little  children  years 
ago,  had  become  men  and  women  grown,  most  of  them  mar 
ried  and  have  families  of  their  own.  The  aged  postmaster 
remained  in  life  at  our  visit,  and  greeted  us  with  much 
warmth  of  feeling,  but  his  feeble  frame  was  fast  losing  its 
hold  of  things  on  this  earth,  and  the  dear  old  man  has  since 


RAMBLES    IN    AMKRICA.  49 

been  gathered  to  his  kindred.     Others  remain  yet  that  one 
remembered  long  ago ;    their  locks  are  now  whitened  with 
age,  yet  their  ever  kindly  welcome  to  the  traveller  of  other 
lands    was  a  renewal  of  the  pleasant  reminiscences  of  the 
past,  with  still  the  same  old  zest  of  hearty  good- will  as  in 
former  days.      Outside  of  these  recollections  of  days  gone 
by,  one  sees  many  innovations  in  the  famed  old  town,  which 
is  now  annexed  to  Boston :  new  streets,  new  dwellings,  new 
thoroughfares,  and  new  surroundings,  with  graded,  finely  cut 
roads  diverging  to  the  four  points  of  the  compass.     Horse- 
car   travel  and  electric  cars  from  Boston's  busy  city   have 
taken  the  place  of  the  time-honored  stage  of  years  ago ;  in 
fact,  everything  has  grown  fast  nnd  furious  in  its  progress 
from  the  old  plodding  ways  of  many  winters   since.     The 
ancient  landmarks  are  nearly  all  obliterated,  except  where  it 
is  an  impossibility ;  and  one  sometimes  feels,  in  inquiring 
about  certain  localities  and  inhabitants,  as  if  in  the  asking,  it 
was  as  a  stranger  and  not  as  a  former  resident.     Everything 
seemed  changed,  in  many  respects.     The  old  fire  department 
quarters    (of  which  the  writer  was  once  a  member)   were 
swept  away  years  since,  and  a  more  commodious  and  stylish 
building   erected  in  its  stead,  with  the  jaunty  steam   fire- 
engine  of  modern  times,  glistening  with  polished  brass  and 
painted   in  bright  colors,  thus  taking  the  place  of  the  old 
"  Torrent,  No.  3,"  a  manual  engine  that  used  to  be  worked 
by  willing  hands  and  stout  hearts  of  the  then  young  amateur 
firemen  of  that  period.     The  recollections  of  the  Dorchester 
fire  companies  of  years  ago  have  some  very  pleasant  rem- 
iniscenes   in   them ;    visions   of   pretty   daughters    of   kind 
parents,  bringing  the  firemen  hot  coffee  and  cakes  during  the 
hard  work  of  the  hour  of  fiery  blaze  ;  and  after  the  danger 
was  over  (all  honor  to  the  brave  fellows  who  risked  so  much 
to  save  their  neighbors'  property  and  fellow-creatures'  lives) , 
these   sarne  American  ladies,  by  their  charming  naivete  of 
manner  in  thanking  us  for  our  efforts,  added  a  great  stimu 
lus  of  encouragement  by  thus  cheering  us  on  to  further  good. 
The  smart  firemen  of  to-day,  in  the  pay  of  the  local  gov 
ernment,  dressed  in  uniform  of  blue,  are  no  smarter  than  the 
dashing  }'oung  volunteer  firemen  of  twenty  years  ago,  who 
so  ably  assisted  to  propel  the  manual  engine  along  by  the 


50  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

long,  stout  rope  to  the  scene  of  conflagration,  with  all  the 
ardor  and  rivalry  of  gallant  men,  "  ever  ready  "  to  save  life 
and  property,  at  any  risk. 

The  fire  system  of  to-day  is  necessarily  much  improved  in 
discipline,  and  has  become  quite  a  business  science,  in  its 
methodical  exactness  and  promptitude  ;  even  the  very  horses 
in  the  department  are  disciplined  into  the  excitement  of  being 
on  the  alert  and  ever  ready ;  the  really  gifted  animals  on  the 
alarm  of  fire-bell  trot  into  their  places  in  the  shafts  or  pole  of 
the  engine,  and,  being  in  part  always  harnessed,  night  and 
day,  the  cavalcade  of  humanity  and  mercy  is  on  its  humane 
and  courageous  mission  within  a  few  moments  of  its  sum- 

YY"»^V-»  O 


mons. 


Then  farewell,  dear  old  Dorchester  !  Thy  memories  of  retro 
spection  have  become  a  mixed  enjoyment  of  pleasure  and  sad 
ness  to  the  wanderer  in  many  lands.  Go  on  with  thy  changes 
for  better  or  worse,  and,  like  other  towns  and  cities,  those 
within  thy  precincts  will  play  their  part  in  life's  history  and 
pass  away ;  others  will  take  their  places,  and  so  the  world 
moves  around,  to  the  joy  and  prosperity  of  some,  and  to  the 
failure  and  disappointment  of  many.  Go  on,  kind  old  town, 
in  thy  whirl  of  changes  and  in  the  "evolution  of  the  turnings 
of  Fate's  progress.  Be  merciful,  kind  Destiny,  to  the  unfor 
tunate  and  weary  in  the  race  of  life's  pilgrimage. 

Before  taking  our  final  leave  of  Dorchester,  permit  the 
writer  to  relate  an  incident  which  happened  on  his  first  visit 
to  this  town,  many  years  ago.  Being  out  of  health,  he  was 
advised  by  a  physician  to  try  horseback  riding  before  break 
fast,  to  get  up  an  appetite.  Accompanied  by  an  American 
friend  we  started  off  one  fine  morning,  well  mounted  on  good- 
looking  chargers  ;  my  companion  bestrode  a  dark-bay  horse, 
mine  being  (unfortunately)  a  cream-colored  animal.  All 
went  well  for  a  time,  we  feeling  exhilarated  with  our  riding 
•exercise  on  the  fresh  spring  morningtide,  when,  lo  and 
behold,  two  large,  powerful  mastiff  dogs  bounded  from  an 
open  gateway,  and  barked  and  jumped  at  our  horses'  faces 
in  a  most  terrific  manner.  My  steed  being  of  light  color 
caused  the  most  attention  from"  the  half -mad  curs,  both  of 
whom  continued  to  snarl,  bark,  and  jump  in  the  most  vicious 
manner,  till  my  horse  became  entirely  unmanageable  and 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 


51 


took  fright,  shying  from  one  side  of  the  road  to  the  other, 
finally  throwing  me  heavily  to  the  ground  and  leaving  one 
foot  caught  in  the  iron  stirrup,  the  frightened  animal  drag 
ging  the  unfortunate  horseman  straight  along  a  country  cor 
duroy  road,  noted  for  its  roughness  of  macadamizing  ;  away 
went  the  maddened  steed  and  dethroned  rider,  who  was 
dragged,  bumped,  jolted,  and  bruised  for  some  distance. 


My  thoughts  for  a  few  seconds,  on  looking  upward  at  the 
horse's  fleeting  hoofs,  ran  thuswise  :  life  is  not  worth  much 
just  now,  and  the  visions  of  dear  ones  at  home  passed 
rapidly,  like  a  disordered  dream,  before  me,  as  consciousness 
was  fast  ebbing  away,  but,  providential!}*,  my  foot  got 
released  at  last  from  the  stirrup,  the  startled  horse  dashing 
off  with  renewed  vigor  as  he  felt  lightened  and  free  from  his 
burden.  The  cowardly  dogs  carried  on  the  pursuit  for  a  mile 
or  two,  then  slunk  away  ;  while  the  poor  seeker  after  health 
was  assisted  to  rise  by  the  alarmed  bystanders,  bruised  and 
bleeding,  with  garments  torn  and  tattered,  looking  quite  a 
forlorn  equestrian  spectacle  after  taking  such  violent  early 
mornino-  exercise,  with  appetite  not  improved.  My  friend 


52  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

escaped  injury,  partly,  perhaps,  being  a  better  rider  than  my 
self,  or  his  horse  not  being  so  objectionable  in  color  to  the 
currish  mastiffs.  Acquaintances  advised  me  to  prosecute  by 
law  the  owners  of  the  vicious  dogs,  but  as  no  bones  were 
broken,  and  the  writer  was  more  frightened  than  hurt,  he 
declined  to  go  into  litigation.  Looking  back,  after  a  long 
vista  of  years,  on  this  accident,  one  is  almost  apt  to  shudder 
at  the  danger  of  the  incident  and  of  the  marvellous  escape 
from  a  most  violent  death.  In  more  recent  years,  the  narra 
tor,  when  thinking  of  saddleback  riding,  invariably  picks  out 
an  animal  dark  in  color,  and  keeps  his  eye  and  tightened  rein 
at  the  sight  of  bounding,  vicious  brutes  of  dogs. 

We  may  add  that  between  the  districts  of  Jamaica  Plain 
and  Dorchester  is  Franklin  Park,  a  fine  tract  of  land  of  some 
seven  hundred  acres  in  extent. 

Lynn,  Mass. 

Lynn  is  a  busy,  industrial,  seaboard  city,  situated  eleven 
miles  northeast  of  Boston  by  the  Eastern  Railroad,  bounded 
on  the  southeast  by  Massachusetts  Bay  and  Nahant.  It  has 
a  harbor  opening  towards  the  south,  formed  by  Nahant  on 
the  east  and  Pines  Point  on  the  west,  with  water  sufficient 
for" sloop  navigation.  The  principal  rock  is  sienite,  which  in 
some  localities  has  been  profitably  quarried,  and  excellent 
clay  for  the  manufacture  of  bricks  is  found.  From  the  ele 
vations  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city  a  most  enchanting  prospect 
is  presented,  comprehending  the  harbor  of  Boston,  with  its 
hundred  islands,  the  spires  and  domes  of  the  city,  with 
the  heights  of  Norfolk  in  the  background.  A  chain  of 
beautiful  sheets  of  water,  called  "The  Lynn  Lakes,"  extend 
along  the  northeastern  section  of  the  city,  imparting  life  and 
variety  to  the  landscape.  Lynn  has  between  thirty  and  forty 
farms  and  many  well-cultivated  gardens  and  fine  orchards, 
which  indicate  careful  management.  Her  population  is 
about  forty-two  thousand,  with  a  floating,  transient  number 
of  extras  of  about  eight  thousand,  — mostly  young  farmers 
and  others  who  come  to  Lynn  during  winter  to  work  at 
shoemaking, — that  trade  pnying  them  bettor  in  the  wintry 
season  than  tilling  the  earth.  There  are  many  fine  streets 
and  thoroughfares  in  the  city,  with  some  excellent  public  and 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  53 

private  buildings,  and  also  some  large  factories  for  the  man 
ufacture  of  ladies'  boots  and  shoes,  which  useful  articles  seem 
to  be  the  people's  chief  business.  Steam  and  horse  cars 
convey  passengers  from  Boston,  Chelsea,  and  many  other 
places  at  frequent  intervals,  and  in  summer  time,  being 
adjacent' to  the  "  Point  of  Pines  "  and  Nahant,  the  pleasure 
traffic  must  be  very  good. 

Lynn's  Awful  Fire,  Nov.  26,  1889. 

Since  writing  the  above  account  of  Lynn's  industrial  city, 
we  regret  to  add  that  a  lamentable  conflagration  took  place 
here,  similar  to  the  burnt  district  of  Boston's  great  fire  in 
1872.  On  Tuesday,  Nov.  26,  the  "City  of  Shoes"  was 
visited  by  the  greatest  fire  in  its  history,  and,  with  but  two 
exceptions,  the  most  disastrous  which  has  ever  visited  New 
England,  causing  a  loss  estimated  at  five  millions  of  dollars, 
loss  falling  heavily  on  English  insurance  offices.  A  square 
mile  of  business  premises  were  destroyed,  including  several 
banks  and  churches,  and  nearly  all  the  shoe  factories,  render 
ing  some  hundreds  of  people  homeless  and  destitute.  Flames 
raged  for  hours,  only  stopped  at  the  margin  of  the  ocean. 
A  hopeful  feeling  amongst  the  merchants  prevails,  that  they 
will  soon  rally  from  their  terrible  catastrophe,  and  rebuild  the 
city  of  brick  and  stone  in  lieu  of  so  many  wooden  structures 
and  fire-traps. 

On  Thanksgiving  Day,  Nov.  28,  1889,  only  two  days 
after  the  great  Lynn  fire,  and  where  the  Boston  firemen 
assisted  so  nobly,  the  city  of  Boston  was  visited  also 
with  a  serious  conflagration,  similar  to  the  one  in  1872,  and 
nearly  in  the  same  locality  of  Bedford  and  Chauncy  Streets. 
About  five  millions  of  dollars  succumbed  to  the  flames,  — 
chiefly  insured  in  English  companies.  Unfortunately,  sev 
eral  brave  firemen  were  lost,  in  their  heroic  efforts  of  duty. 
Surrounding  towns  promptly  responded  to  the  call  for  help,  — 
Providence  being  among  the  number.  The  writer  of  these 
pages  was  in  Boston,  Jan.  7,  1890,  and  inspected  the  ruins 
of  this  fire  ;  the  debris  was  mostly  cleared  away,  and  the 
work  of  reconstruction  commenced  in  this  unlucky  "quarter  of 
Boston's  fine  granite  and  brick  buildings.  The  insurance 
report  of  Feb.  18,  1890,  and  adjusters'  returns  of  the  great 


54  KAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

Lynn  fire,  show  that  the  total  value  of  buildings  destroyed 
was  near  five  millions  of  dollars,  and  of  the  contents  near 
four  millions  of  dollars. 

Pirate's  Dungeon  Cave,  near  Lynn. 

About  two  miles  from  Lynn's  city  proper,  and  up  a  steep 
hill,  is  a  large  mass  of  rock,  known  far  and  wide  as  "  The 
Pirate's  Dungeon  Cave."  The  writer  and  two  friends,  by 
paying  the  person  in  charge  of  the  rocky  estate  twenty-five 
cents  each,  were  permitted  to  enter  the  dark  abyss,  though 
our  guide  speedily  lighted  lanterns  affixed  on  the  rocky,  damp 
walls,  and  carrying  one  in  his  hand,  he  introduced  us  to  the 
explorations  ;  and  after  the  legend  is  given,  the  reader  may 
form  his  own  opinion  of  the  veracity  of  the  story. 

This  is  the  "  legend  "  which  the  narrator  found  in  the  little 
office  near  the  cave,  printed  at  the  bottom  of  a  large  photo 
graph  of  the  rocky  eminence  :  — 

"  According  to  traditional  accounts,  there  formerly  existed 
a  cave  in  this  place,  which  was  frequented  by  pirates.  Since 
the  great  earthquake  in  1658,  which  closed  the  original  en 
trance,  no  vestige  of  the  cave  is  discernible,  and  at  that  time 
a  pirate,  known  as  Thomas  Veal,  was  imprisoned  alive  ;  hence 
the  place  is  called  '  Pirate's  dungeon/  It  is  believed  by 
many  that  treasures  are  secured  here,  and  various  attempts 
have  been  made  to  force  an  entrance  to  the  cave.  Some 
years  ago  renewed  attempts  were  made  to  blow  up  the  place, 
but  succeeded  only  in  displacing  a  mass  of  rocks.  Subse 
quently  Jesse  Hutchinson  (one  of  the  singing  brothers), 
under  the  direction  of  a  clairvoyant,  tried  to  reach  the  cave, 
but  he  abandoned  a  labor  so  very  expensive  and  laborious. 
Afterwards,  Mr.  Hiram  Marble,  under  the  guidance  of  clair 
voyants  and  spiritual  mediums,  commenced  the  present  ex 
cavations  (about  eight,  years  since  Mr.  Hutchinson's  ven 
ture)  ;  he  has  penetrated  into  the  solid  rock  to  the  distance 
of  more  than  one  hundred  feet,  making  a  passageway  eight 
feet  in  diameter ;  he  professed  to  be  guided  in  his  opera 
tions  by  the  spirits  of  the  pirates  who  occupied  the  cave, 
communicating  through  spiritual  mediums.  Should  he  verify 
the  predictions  of  the  spirits  in  finding  the  cave  and  treas- 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  55 

ures,  it  will  certainly  be  an  irresistible  evidence  of  the  truth 
of  Spiritualism  ;  but  should  he  fail  so  to  do,  it  will  prove  the 
wonderful  faith,  patience,  and  perseverance  on  the  part  of 
the  excavators." 

So  much  for  the  legend.  But  the  writer  was  informed 
that  it  was  as  far  back  as  1851  when  Mr.  Hiram  Marble, 
Sen.,  undertook  this  ardous  work  for  years,  failed  in  his 
purpose,  after  spending  thousands  of  dollars,  and  died,  per 
haps,  broken-hearted.  His  son  took  up  where  his  father  left 
off ;  excavated  at  great  expense  some  feet  further  in  the 
rock,  found  no  treasure,  and  died  comparatively  a  young  man. 
The  rocky  estate,  we  were  informed,  was  mortgaged  to  its 
supposed  full  value.  Like  Captain  Kidd,  the  once  buccaneer 
of  the  seas,  who  was"  supposed  to  have  buried  his  treasures 
in  a  little  inlet  near  "  Stony  Creek,"  Conn.,  called  tb  Pot 
Island,"  but  it  was  supposition  only,  as  may  be  the  case 
of  the  dungeon  pirates  near  Lynn ;  and  it  seems  sad  and 
foolish  to  venture  a  fortune  in  hunting  after  a  myth,  and 
ruin  two  worthy  men  in  vain  efforts  to  gain  riches  by  digging 
and  delving  bare  rocks. 

Harvard  College,  Cambridge,  Mass. 

Cambridge,  the  seat  of  Harvard  University,  and  the  semi- 
capital  of  Middlesex  County,  is  an  opulent  and  elegant  city, 
about  three  miles  northwest  of  Boston.  Aside  from  its 
celebrated  University,  Cambridge  has  many  buildings  and 
other  objects  of  interest  to  the  visitor ;  on  one  side  of  the 
Common  stands  the  famous  "  Washington  Elm,"  under  which 
it  is  said  that  the  u  Father  of  his  Country  "  took  command 
of  the  Continental  army  on  the  third  day  of  July,  1775; 
and  on  Brattle  Street  is  the  fine  old  mansion  where  he  held 
his  headquarters,  while  at  Cambridge,  till  late  occupied  by 
the  lamented  poet,  Henry  W.  Longfellow. 

Cambridge  University  was  founded  in  September,  1636. 
It  is  not  only  the  oldest,  but  also  the .  best  endowed  and 
most  extensive  institution  of  the  kind  in  America.  The 
college  grounds  embrace  an  area  of  twenty-two  acres  of 
land,  and  are  almost  entirely  covered  with  buildings  pertaining 
to  the  University.  In  close  proximity  to  each  other  stand 


56  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

the  substantial  structures  used  for  dormitories,  recitations, 
Museum,  Library,  Law  School,  public  worship,  Memorial 
Hall,  cliniiig-hali,  Gymnasium,  and  other  buildings,  bearing 
the  well-known  names :  Hoi  worth  JT  Hall,  Stoughton  Hall, 
Holden  Chapel.  Hollis  Hall,  Harvard  Hall,  Massachusetts 
Hall,  Matthias  Hall,  and  many  others. 

This  University  is  worthy  of  its  name  ;  in  addition  to  the 
usual  collegiate  course,  provision  is  made  not  only  for  the 
study  for  what  is  called  the  learned  professions,  —  divinity, 
law,  and  medicine,  — but  also  for  that  of  dentistry,  mining, 
agriculture,  and  other  arts  and  sciences. 

The  Memorial  Hall  is  a  magnificent  structure,  with  its  fine, 
lofty  proportions  and  really  elegant  stained-glass  windows, 
and  its  tesselated  pavements,  giving  a  very  imposing  effect 
as  one  enters  from  the  approach  entrance.  Leading  out  or 
from  the  Memorial  Hall  is  the  dining-hall,  a  noble,  spacious 
building,  with  the  elegance,  comfort,  and  convenience  of  a 
large,  first-class  hotel ;  it  accommodates  as  many  as  six  hun 
dred  students  ;  by  the  number  of  chairs,  no  doubt  all  could 
be  seated  and  served  with  their  meals  at  one  and  the  same 
time.  Around  the  walls  of  this  dining-hall  are  some  very 
fine  paintings,  mostly  portraits  of  eminent  professors, 
teachers,  and  benefactors  to  the  college  ;  also  several  fig 
ures,  sculptured  in  marble,  of  personages  connected  with  the 
University. 

The  Museum  is  perhaps  the  most  interesting  to  the  visitor. 
A  number  of  rooms  contain  glass  cases  from  ceiling  to  floor, 
filled  with  all  kinds  of  Indian  relics,  pottery  vessels  of  the 
antique,  skulls,  poisoned  arrows,  mummies,  Indian  bows, 
josses,  etc.  The  polite  curator  kindly  showed  the  writer 
around  the  collection,  which  must  number  many  thousand 
specimens  of  rarities.  The  Indian  relics  of  spear-heads  and 
other  implements  seemed  to  be  ver}r  perfect,  and  each  article 
is  classified,  with  its  record  of  history. 

The  Gymnasium  is  the  best,  one  would  imagine,  in  the 
country  ;  \  network  of  ropes  extend  from  top  and  across  the 
building,  having  the  appearance  of  an  old-fashioned  "  man- 
of-war,"  with  its  .cordage  and  all  kinds  of  apparatus,  of 
spring-boards,  swinging  trapeze,  beds  to  fall  on,  etc.  ;  in 
fact,  the  athlete  here  can  enjoy  himself  to  his  heart's  con- 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  57 

tent,  and  exercise  the  body,  after  the  mind  has  sometimes 
been  overtaxed.  The  population  of  Cambridge  is  over 
40,000;  while  the  census  returns  of  June,  1890,  of  Boston's 
population  amount  to  417,720,  showing  a  gain  in  the  Rub 
City  of  55,000  souls  since  the  census  of  1880. 

Nantasket  Beach  —  on  Boston  Bay. 

The  above  beach  is  a  favorite  resort  of  the  Boston ians 
during  the  summer  months.  A  pleasant  ride  of  some  eight 
een  miles  brings  the  traveller  to  a  very  pretty  seashore 
place,  where  a  fine  bathing-ground  is  at  the  service  of  the 
many  thousands  of  persons  who  every  season  pay  tribute  to 
u  Father  Neptune"  by  swimming  and  refreshing  themselves 
by  a  salt-water  bath.  At  each  end  of  the  beachy  parade 
a  magnificent  hotel  is  situated,  with  first-class  fare  for  the 
hungry  or  thirsty  visitors  ;  an  excellent  band  of  music  plays 
at  intervals,  afternoons  and  evenings  ;  dancing  and  fireworks 
at  night  add  to  the  hilarity  of  the  scene,  and  combine  to 
make  this,  Boston's  "  Coney  Island,"  a  most  cool  sojourn 
from  the  heated  city.  One  of  the  hotels,  called  Hotel 
Pemberton,  has  a  finely  arranged  and  well-appointed  cafe  or 
restaurant,  where  the  colored  waiters  are  in  full  discipline, 
and  obsequious  to  visitors,  and  a  really  excellent  dinner 
is  to  be  had  here  ;  the  bill  of  fare  was  so  numerous  in 
items  of  good  things  that  a  description  would  be  tedious 
to  the  reader ;  and  if  the  solids  were  good  and  ample,  the 
liquids  were  also,  in  all  varieties  of  plain  and  fancy  drinks, 
lemonade,  apple  toddy,  punch,  etc.  A  steam  railway  carries 
the  passengers  all  around  the  beach  (if  they  are  too  lazy 
to  walk),  making  a  very  pleasant  ride  for  those  who  wish 
to  see  all  over  the  place.  A  few  miles  further  inland  is 
another  attractive  resott,  called  "  Downer's  Landing,"  lo 
cated  by  Nature  in  an  in'et  of  the  bay,  where  good  clam 
dinners  are  served  twice  a  day,  intermingled  with  dancing  in 
the  afternoon  and  evening,  to  an  excellent  band  of  music, 
with  numerous  other  attractions  of  boating,  fishing,  swing 
ing,  tight-rope  feats,  winding  up  with  fireworks.0  Excur 
sion  steamers  in  the  summer  make  frequent  trips  daily  from 
Boston  to  this  place. 


58  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 


Early  Settlement  at  Plymouth,  Mass. 

The  early  history  of  British  enterprise  in  America  was 
from  one's  earliest  recollection  ever  a  subject  fraught  with 
the  greatest  interest  to  us,  and  it  was  in  order  to  satisfy  our 
thirst  for  information  on  this  subject  that  we  paid  a  visit  to 
the  ancient  town  of  Plymouth,  about  thirty-seven  miles  south 
east  of  Boston,  remarkable  in  history  as  the  landing-place, 
in  1620,  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  who  emigrated  in  the  good 
ship  "Mayflower."  The  actual  rock  on  which  the  adven 
turers  landed  has  had  erected  over  it  a  massive  granite 
canopy.  This  structure  cost  $32,000,  beneath  which  lies 
the  original  rock,  and  also  the  portion  which  was  formerly 
in  the  enclosure  in  front  of  Pilgrim  Hall,  but  which  was 
removed  to  its  present  position  when  the  canopy  was  built, 
years  ago.  In  a  commanding  position,  on  a  hill  in  rear  of 
the  town,  has  also  been  erected,  of  later  years,  a  magnifi 
cent  granite  monument,  "'Faith,"  to  the  memory  of  the 
Pilgrims,  which  is  of  national  fame,  and  is  considered  one 
of  the  finest  granite  structures  in  the  world.  In  the  ancient 
churchyard  (or  "Burial  Hill,"  as  it  has  long  been  called), 
the  oldest  tombstone  therein  of  the  adventurers  is  dated 
1683  (that  of  William  Crowe),  though  tradition  says  some 
of  the  settlers  were  buried  there  as  early  as  1662.  The 
Pilgrims  had  to  be  very  particular,  in  burying  their  brethren, 
not  to  leave  any  records  of  the  deceased,  as  the  Indians 
were  much  exasperated  at  the  great  mortality  among  them, 
and  obstinately  held  that  the  invaders  had  introduced  a 
scourge  to  afflict  the  natives.  This  churcl\yard  stands  on  a 
hill  about  one  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and 
commands  a  noble  prospect  of  the  ocean  and  surrounding 
country.  The  Pilgrim  Hall  is  a  sort  of  antiquarian 
museum,  comprising  an  interesting  collection  of  papers  and 
curiosities,  presented  to  the  town  of  Plymouth  by  the  de 
scendants  of  these  early  settlers.  We  noticed  many  curious 
articles  brought  over  in  the  "  Mayflower,"  such  as  a  small 
cabinet  of  very  peculiar  workmanship,  a  part  of  a  sea  chest, 
a  large,  antique  sofa,  wearing  apparel,  two  Bibles,  a  couple 
of  old-fashioned  wooden  chairs  (much  disfigured  by  the 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  59 

knives  of  antiquity-hunting  visitors),  and  other  items.  We 
saw  likewise  an  admirable  painting,  executed  by  W.  S.  Sar 
gent,  which  represents  the  brave  little  band  of  adventurers 
landing  with  their  wives  and  children ;  nor  could  one  gaze 
without  pity  at  the  forlorn  condition  of  the  Pilgrims,  step 
ping  on  to  the  bleak  shore,  amid  ice  and  snow,  accompanied 
by  their  beloved  partners,  whose  delicate  forms,  in  many 
instances,  sank  beneath  the  severity  of  the  trials  to  which 
they  were  exposed.  The  picture  is  of  large  dimensions, 
and  we  were  especially  struck  by  the  commanding  attitude 
of  Samoset,  the  friendly  Indian  chiof.  Another  curiosity 
that  we  inspected  was  a  parchment  deed,  sent  by  the  Pro 
tector,  Oliver  Cromwell,  to  Gov.  Winslow,  dated  1654,  in 
vesting  the  latter  with  power  to  act  as  arbitrator  between 
the  English  nation  and  the  States-general,  with  several  other 
letters  of  an  almost  equally  early  date,  that  can  be  read  with 
a  little  patience.  Fronting  the  hall  is  an  iron  enclosure,  on 
the  railing  of  which  are  inscribed  the  names  of  those  forty- 
eight  illustrious  fathers  of  the  Anglo-American  Republic, 
who,  driven  from  their  English  homes  by  religious  perse 
cution,  sallied  forth  across  the  ocean  to  plant  the  stand 
ard  of  the  cross  in  an  almost  unknown  and  savage  land, 
thus  inaugurating  a  new  era  in  the  history  of  the  world.  In 
truth,  looking  back  through  the  annals  of  the  last  two  cen 
turies,  one  cannot  contemplate  without  admiration  the  vast 
amount  of  agricultural  enterprise  and  commercial  greatness, 
that  has  been  achieved  in  so  short  a  time  ;  and  could  the  Pil 
grim  Fathers  rise  from  their  graves  to  see  the  rich  harvest 
that  has  since  arisen  from  the  humble  seed  sown  by  them 
selves,  they  would  be  fairly  astonished  that  the  continent 
which  in  their  time  was  tenanted  only  by  the  red  Indian 
and  the  beasts  of  the  forest,  is  now  endowed  with  all  the 
inestimable  blessings  of  a  free  government,  and  offering 
every  incentive  of  activity  and  enterprise,  not  only  to  her 
own  sons,  but  to  strangers  from  other  lands. 

The  Grand  Army  of  Veterans  in  Boston,  Aug.  12,  1890. 

The  great  National  Encampment  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  held  in  Boston  at  the  above  date,  was  one  to  be 


60  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

long  rem'embered.  This  reunion  of  veterans  from  all  parts 
of  the  Union,  to  the  number  of  forty  thousand,  marched 
through  the  principal  thoroughfares  of  Boston's  city,  on 
the  cloudy  summer's  day,  amidst  much  enthusiasm  by  the 
myriads  of  people  who  welcomed  them.  The  procession 
took  five  and  a  half  hours  to  pass  a  given  point,  and  it  was 
computed  there  were  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  visitors 
in  the  city.  Boston  was  one  mass  of  decoration,  of  flags, 
banners,  and  bunting  of  all  kinds,  extending  for  miles. 
President  Harrison  and  some  members  of  his  Cabinet, 
assisted  by  Gov.  Brackett,  of  Massachusetts,  Gen.  Alger, 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Grand  Army,  Gen.  Butler,  and 
other  officers  reviewed  the  aged  veterans  as  they  marched 
past  to  the  music  of  many  scores  of  bands.  On  Aug.  14, 
1890,  Col.  Veasie,  of  Vermont,  was  unanimously  elected 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Grand  Army.  The  next  En 
campment  was  voted  to  be  held  in  Detroit 

Provincetown,  Cape  Cod. 

On  one  of  the  hottest  days  of  July,  1883,  when  the  ther 
mometer  stood  among  the  90's  in  the  shade,  a  large  party 
of  excursionists  embarked  on  board  the  palace  steamer 
"Empire  State,"  from  Battery  Wharf,  Boston,  en  route 
across  the  bay  to  Provincetown.  For  this  excursion,  our 
course  lies  down  the  harbor,  as  far  as  "  Nix's  Mate,"  when 
we  diverge,  in  order  to  pass  LovelPs  and  Gallop's  islands. 
We  are  now  approaching  George's  Island,  on  which  stands 
a  noble  fortress.  Any  hostile  fleet  entering  the  port  must 
first  force  its  way  through  the  narrow  channel,  commanded 
by  the  heaviest  ordnance  in  use.  On  our  right  is  Pettick's 
Island,  and  then  the  high  promontory  of  Hull,  which  is 
joined  to  the  mainland  by  the  magnificent  Nantasket  Beach, 
back  of  which  rise  several  green  eminences,  as  Strawberry 
Hill,  Sagamore  Hill,  etc.,  crowned  by  hotels  and  cottages. 
Nantasket  is  connected  with  the  mainland  in  the  town  of 
Cohasset.  The  extreme  seaward  point  of  Hull  is  a  high 
headland  of  drift,  called  Point  Allerton.  It  is  the  outer 
most  land  of  Boston  Bay,  which  embraces  between  this  land's 
end  and  Point  Shirley  about  seventy-five  square  miles,  and 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  61 

nearly  one  hundred  islands  and  rocks  having  names.  Near 
Fort  Warren  we  left  the  Narrows  or  Bug  Light.  Then 
comes  Boston  Light,  on  a  rock,  connected  at  low  tide  with 
4 'Great  Brewster."  On  the  southernmost  part  of  "  Great 
Brewster"  is  Beacon  Island.  It  was  near  here  that  the 
44  Shannon"  backed  her  topsails,  and  hoisted  her  challenge 
to  the  "Chesapeake,"  then  lying  in  President's  Road,  to 
come  and  fight  her.  Capt.  Lawrence,  too  chivalric  a  spirit 
to  decline  the  invitation  to  combat,  sailed,  with  a  drunken 
and  mutinous  crew,  to  defeat  and  death,  bequeathing  in  his 
last  moments  that  memorable  watchword  to  his  gallant  tars 
(those  who  remained  true  to  him), 4t  Don't  give  up  the  ship  !  " 

Having  steamed  out  through  lighthouse  channel,  past 
Point  Allerton,  the  open  sea  is  before  us,  and  on  this 
intensely  hot  day,  when  several  deaths  from  sun-stroke  in 
Boston  occurred,  the  delightful  breeze  off  the  broad  bosom 
of  the  Atlantic  Ocean  was  most  refreshing  to  the  jaded 
people  from  the  heated  city,  and  appreciated  accordingly. 
The  steamer  now  heads  southeast,  coasting  the  shores  of 
the  historic  Old  Colony.  Numerous  rocky  ledges  and  light 
houses  meet  us  on  our  way,  as  we  approach  Provincetown, 
and  the  large  party  of  voyagers  are  on  the  alert  to  catch  a 
glimpse  of  the  picturesque  old  town.  The  tk  Empire  State" 
steamed  gayly  up  to  the  commodious  landing  pier,  with  her 
flags  waving,  and  the  magnificent  band  of  twenty-four  pieces 
discoursing  martial  music,  much  to  the  delight  of  the  natives 
assembled  on  the  wharf.  Apropos  of  the  music,  a  fine  pro 
gramme  of  excellent  instrumental  and  soloist  performances 
were  given  on  board,  enhanced  by  quite  a  young  and  charm 
ing  lady  singer,  named  Miss  Bessy.  Much  disappointment 
was  evinced  by  the  great  bulk  of  the  passengers,  who  were 
not  allowed  to  land,  except  those  who  wished  to  remain  over 
in  Provincetown.  The  writer  of  these  sketches  was  one  of 
the  stop-overs,  and  intended  to  explore  Cape  Cod  on  terra 
firma.  He  nimbly  leaped  ashore  as  soon  as  possible,  and 
went  along  the  immense  pier,  with  the  burning  sun  pouring 
its  scorching  rays  on  our  devoted  head,  till  we  were  safely 
shaded  in  one  of  the  pleasant,  quaint,  cosy  hotels,  which 
Provincetown  is  so  famed  for. 

In  the  mean  while  the  band  struck  up  the   tune  of  the 


62  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

"  Girl  I  left  behind  me,"  causing  some  of  the  ladies  on  the 
pier  to  smile  and  blush,  then  the  huge  craft  with  its  two 
funnels  slowly  swung  around,  straining  at  its  ponderous- 
hawser,  and  turning  her  bow  homeward,  for  the  sixty  miles 
of  ocean  travel  back  to  Boston. 

Cape  Cod  Harbor  is  a  world-renowned  haven  of  refuge 
for  the  storm- tossed  mariner.  Provincetown  lies  on  the 
slopes  and  along  the  foot  of  the  range  of  highland  hills 
before  us,  on  the  highest  of  which  the  old  Town  Hall  for 
merly  stood  conspicuous,  till  burned,  some  years  ago.  A 
new  Town  Hall  has  been  erected  among  the  residences  near 
the  foot  of  the  hill.  A  tablet  is  placed  in  the  walls,  com 
memorating  the  first  landing  of  Pilgrims  on  American  soil. 
The  harbor  is  shallow,  but  is  often  crowded  with  shipping, 
waiting  for  a  favorable  wind  to  get  around  the  Cape.  The 
view  from  Town  Hill  is  splendid ;  the  broad,  majestic  ocean 
and  Massachusetts  Bay  are  visible  from  its  summit.  At 
sunset  the  sight  is  very  beautiful,  and  at  night  the  scene  is 
one  of  grandeur.  Overlooking  the  bay,  with  its  numerous 
lighthouses,  nnd  the  calm  sea,  the  stillness  around  causes 
one  to  thank  his  fortune  that  he  is  far  removed  from  the 
large  city's  busy  turmoil. 

On  descending  the  hill-side  to  the  Pilgrim  House,  a  quaint 
old  hostel,  with  a  kind  old  landlord,  we  find  that  good 
quarters  are  here,  with  nice,  comfortable  bedrooms  and  a 
very  generous  table,  fish  at  almost  every  meal,  if  the  visitor 
so  wishes,  freshly  caught  from  the  bay,  and  cooked  as  only 
shore  cooks  can  cook  them.  All  kinds  of  travellers  are 
around  here :  the  fat,  burly,  saucy  drummer  from  Boston  or 
elsewhere,  who  imagines  that  Provincetown,  or,  in  fact,  every 
town  was  made  specially  for  him  or  his  tribe  ;  his  ideas  are 
so  very  large,  and  his  noisy  voice  is  heard  everywhere,  inside 
and  outside  of  the  hotel,  the  conversation  constantly  of  self, 
being  uppermost.  The  old,  stale  anecdotes  of  experiences,  on 
the  road  and  off  of  it,  jar  on  the  ears  of  the  listeners,  by  being 
retold  with  all  the  impudence  and  effrontery  appertaining  to 
his  class.  Then  again,  we  had  another  drummer  boarder 
here,  "•  a  gentleman  corn  doctor,"  whom  we  found  assorting 
from  his  satchel  some  of  the  wonderful  square-shaped  com 
pounds  of  his  vaunted  remedy  for  the  cure  of  all  kinds  of 


RAMBLES    IX    AMERICA.  fi3 

corns,  warts,  and  bunions.  Unlike  the  fat  drummer,  the 
corn  doctor  was  lean  and  genteel-looking,  wearing  eye 
glasses,  and  with  plenty  to  say  for  himself,  in  the  recom 
mendation  of  the  mysterious*  corn  salve.  This  gentleman 
had  travelled  the  country  over,  according  to  his  own  glib 
statement,  as  an  itinerant  vender  of  the  healing  plasters. 
He  told  us,  his  plan  of  operations  used  to  be,  on  opening 
his  stock  in  trade  at  a  convenient  street  corner  of  a  town  of 
an  evening,  lie  would  commence  the  preliminaries  of  business 
by  singing  a  song  to  the  accompaniment  of  an  accordion,  at 
which  he  was  an  adept.  "But  now,"  the  "doctor"  said, 
"I  do  trade  different  from  that,  by  calling  on  most  of  the 
well-to-do  residents  of  a  town,  and  in  a  respectful  and 
respectable  manner  solicit  orders  for  the  wonderful  corn 
cure";  and  he  informed  us  that  at  times  he  made  a  good 
deal  of  money.  The  fat  drummer  insinuated  that  the  salve 
only  burned  the  sufferer's  toes,  which  caused  a  belief  in  the 
minds  of  the  patients  of  a  riddance  of  the  excrescence. 
The  doctor  merely  laughed,  and  said,  "No  such  thing;  it 
cures  in  time,  if  they  will  only  take  enough  of  it."  The 
quack  doctor's  experiences  of  years  ago  were  very  humor- 
some.  One  day,  after  selling  all  his  stock  at  a  country 
town,  a  farmer  offered  to  carry  him  and  a  party  of  young 
men  and  girls  around  the  district,  in  a  village  tip-cart,  if  the 
vender  would  play  his  accordion  the  while  ;  accordingly,  off 
they  started,  the  musical  instrument  in  full  force,  and  the 
company  singing  to  the  strength  of  their  lungs  ;  when,  lo  and 
behold,  some  rustic  wag  had  slily  removed  the  pin  which 
held  the  body  of  the  tip-cart  together,  and  in  the  jolting  of 
the  rude  vehicle,  it  fell  over  backwards,  corn  doctor,  accor 
dion,  and  all  the  company  falling  pell-mell  together  on  the 
roadway. 

The  town  is  built  upon  a  narrow  strip  of  level  land,  lying 
between  a  range  of  high  sand-hills  and  the  shore.  The 
principal  street  is  a  narrow  thoroughfare,  between  two  and 
three  miles  long,  skirting  the  shore,  with  a  raised  plank  side 
walk  running  the  whole  distance,  and  a  smooth,  tolerably 
firm  roadway,  made  of  shells  and  loam.  Upon  one  side  are 
the  dwellings,  facing  the  harbor ;  upon  the  other  are  the 
stores,  which  we  noticed  kept  open  till  past  nine  o'clock  for 


64  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

the  transaction  of  business.  There  is  one  other  street  run 
ning  parallel  to  this,  a  hundred  feet  or  so  back,  and  immedi 
ately  in  the  rear  of  the  houses,  fronting  upon  which  are  the 
sand-hills.  The  town  was  originally  built  upon  the  loose 
sand,  in  which  vegetation  would  not  grow,  but  soil  was 
brought  from  other  parts  and  mixed  with  it,  and  now  tall 
willow,  cotton  wood,  and  maple  trees  and  vegetable  gardens 
thrive  very  fairly  in  this  somewhat  artificial  mother-earth. 
The  village  is  built  mainly  upon  one  street,  which  commences 
some  three  miles  from  Race  Point,  the  termination  of  Cape 
Cod,  and  follows  for  several  miles  the  curving  lines  of  the 
harbor.  The  township  consists  mainly  of  loose,  white  sand, 
which  the  wind  has  driven  into  fantastic  knolls,  and  which 
are  subject  to  incessant  changes.  There  is  not  a  single 
farm  in  the  whole  township  ;  the  streets  and,  in  fact,  all  this 
part  of  the  Cape,  are  one  mass  of  loose,  white  sand,  and  the 
visitors,  on  taking  their  walk  around,  in  a  few  moments 
generally  get  covered  with  dust  and  sand.  To  obviate  this 
little  discomfort,  brushes  are  kept  handy  at  the  hotels  for 
the  use  of  the  tourists  ;  though  one  may  brush  fifty  times  a 
day,  the  clinging,  sticky,  sandy  particles  still  adhere  to  the 
boots  and  clothing  of  the  pedestrians,  so  that  rough,  blue 
sailor  suits  are  much  in  vogue  here  as  elsewhere  on  the  Cape. 
It  is  a  well-known  historic.il  fact  that  the  "Mayflower" 
first  entered  Frovincetown  harbor,  and  there  the  first  child 
(Peregrine  White)  was  born.  The  vessel  remained  at  an 
chor  there,  while  a  portion  of  the  crew  and  passengers  made 
explorations  in  a  shallop,  looking  for  a  suitable  place  for  a 
permanent  residence.  It  was  this  party  in  the  shallop  who 
made  the  famous  "landing"  at  Plymouth.  The  associa 
tions  of  the  brave  little  band  of  men  and  women  who  landed 
here  are  full  of  interest,  when  we  remember  their  trials  and 
sufferings  from  the  time  the  ship  "  Mayflower  "  first  anchored 
at  Cape  Cod  until  the  following  spring  found  them  emerging 
from  the  dark  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  with  only  half 
their  original  number ;  so  that  every  foot  of  the  ground  is 
historic  and  dear  to  Americans. 

Aside  from  its  importance  as  a  harbor  of  refuge,  Province- 
town  owes  its  rise,  in  some  measure,  to  the  George's  fishery, 
for  which  it  is  admirably  adapted  and  situated,  giving  employ- 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  65 

ment  to  a  large  number  of  men.  The  population  consists  of 
almost  every  nationality,  and  numbers  some  six  thousand 
inhabitants  ;"  the  Portuguese  appear  to  be  the  predominating 
race.  Some  of  the  streets  are  named  after  the  brave 
pioneers  of  years  ago.  Standish,  Bradford,  and  Winslow 
being  easily  recognized.  The  town,  having  few  trees  and 
no  gardens  to  speak  of,  has  a  curious  effect  on  the  beholder, 
who  walks  around  in  a  dazed,  bewildered  way  at  the  strange 
appearance  of  everything  he  sees.  It  realizes  the  idea  of  a 
desert  more  vividly  than  any  other  spot  of  ground  in  New 
England.  Great  trade  is  done  here,  in  the  mackerel  fishery. 
We  saw  thousands  of  barrels  of  these  and  other  fish  packed 
in  the  sheds  at  the  pier  head,  awaiting  shipment  to  the  big 
markets.  The  freight-car  tracks  are  laid  all  along  the  fine, 
long  steamboat  pier,  and  the  promenade  is  quite  an  enjoy 
able  breezy  walk  of  an  evening.  The  codfish,  once  so  abun 
dant  here,  has  now  to  be  sought  on  George's  or  Grand 
Banks  ;  and  the  whale,  oncet  akeu  so  close  to  the  shore,  is 
seldom  seen  in  these  waters,  though  occasionally  a  capture 
is  made,  two  whales  having  been  seen  lately  and  shot  by  a 
sea  captain  ;  one  leviathan  being  lost,  the  other  towed  ashore. 
The  reason  for  the  whales  being  sometimes  found  in  close 
proximity  to  the  coast  is,  the  small  fishes  they  feed  on  are 
located  hereabouts  in  great  quantities. 

Hyannis. 

The  journey  from  one  end  of  the  Cape  to  the  other  is  full 
of  interest.  After  a  very  early  breakfast  at  the  Hotel 
Pilgrim,  we  started  from  the  Provincetown  depot  at  a  quarter 
past  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  there  being  but  two  through 
trains  daily  :  early  morn  and  mid- day.  It  was  very  refresh 
ing,  as  we  breathed  the  delicious,  cool  morning  air,  blowing 
breezy  and  fresh  from  the  bay.  and  the  few  friends  who  had 
got  out  early  enough  to  see  their  relatives  off  tearfully  bid 
their  adieus  to  the  departing  train  that  carried  their  kinsfolks 
away  from  kind,  quaint  old  Provincetown,  en  route  to  Hyannis. 

Rapidly  we  passed  through  scenery  so  strange  looking  and 
so  sandy  in  appearance,  and  by  villages  and  dwellings  so 
peculiarly  antique  in  shape  and  in  weather-beaten  colors  as 


66  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

to  give  one  the  impression  of  a  migration  to  some  foreign 
shore,  though  the  ride  was  far  from  being  tiresome  or  weari 
some.  High  hills  of  sand,  gray,  sombre,  and  desolate, 
covered  in  some  places  with  a  stunted  growth  of  pines  or  tall 
beach  grass,  and  in  others  entirely  bare,  stretch  away  on 
either  hand,  with  now  and  then  a  far-off  glimpse  of  the 
ocean  or  bay  through  some  sandy  ravine  These  are  suc 
ceeded  by  stretches  of  attempts  in  cultivated  land,  showing 
evidences  of  toiling  tillage,  and  these  in  turn  by  vast,  level 
plains  of  sand,  destitute  of  vegetation,  or  by  low  marshes,, 
caused  by  some  dyke  or  embankment  that  has  cut  off  the 
ebb  and  flow  of  the  tide.  The  road  winds  in  and  out  among 
these  hills  and  marshes,  with  many  curves  between  the  ter 
mini, —  almost  a  complete  circle.  On  the  way  we  espied 
many  thriving  and  pretty  villages,  and  at  the  various  stop 
ping  places  at  the  way-stations  numerous  were  the  passengers 
taken  in  and  set  down  in  these  quaint  hamlets,  appearing  to 
the  traveller  as  if  most  of  the  "  Cape  Cod  folks  "  were  bent 
on  making  the  best  of  their  holiday  vacation  in  this  glorious, 
sunny,  July  month. 

After  a  run  of  about  two  hours,  Yarmouth  is  reached,  — 
a  pretty  little  hamlet,  noted  for  its  yearly  religious  campfng 
attractions  early  in  August.  A  junction  is  here  for  passen 
gers  to  take  diverging  roads  ;  some  keeping  the  main-line  route, 
which  carries  them  to  Boston  and  Fairhaven  ;  and  others,  the 
writer  included,  take  the  short  branch  line  to  the  pretty 
district  of  Hyannis.  A  pleasant  ride  of  some  four  miles, 
mostly  through  groves  and  camping  grounds,  brings  us  to 
our  destination.  Stages  and  carriages  meet  every  incoming 
train  to  carry  the  wayfarers  who  wish  to  see  the/'4  Port,"  as 
it  is  termed  ;  a  nice  ride  of  some  five  miles  to  the  shore,  where 
the  elite  of  the  summer  visitors  congregate,  and  where  there 
is  a  commodious  hotel  and  some  good  cottages  on  the  bluffs,  a 
miniature  Cottage  City.  Strolling  to  the  end  of  the  pier,  one 
finds  sail-boats  and  row-boats  at  hand  for  fishing  or  pleasure- 
sailing  ;  the  invigorating  and  healthy  sea  breeze  is  very  notice 
able  on  the  tanned  cheeks  of  the  sojouruers  staying  here. 

On  taking  a  sail  across  the  bay,  we  had  a  fine  view  of 
some  pretty  little  islands  and  a  sturdy-looking  breakwater, 
which  seemed  to  defy  the  action  of  the  waves  against  its 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  67 

solid  masonry.  Like  Nantucket  in  a  less  degree,  the  salubri- 
ousness  of  the  sea  air  is  very  observable  here,  and  it  is 
accounted  a  very  healthy  place  for  the  invalid,  or  those 
overworked  city  men  and  their  wives  and  families  who  re 
quire  rest  and  change  of  air  and  scene.  It  was  somewhat 
alarmingly  noticeable  with  what  freedom  quite  young  boys 
and  girls  went  out  in  row-boats  and  sailing  craft,  unattended 
by  competent  sailing-masters,  the  rough,  throbbing,  turbulent 
sea  causing  one  to  think  of  some  likely  danger  of  a  sudden 
squall  to  these  young  novices,  in  the  upsetting  of  their  frail 
little  barks.  We  watched  with  surprise  these  adventurous 
young  mariners,  going  right  out  into  the  bay ;  and  surmising 
their  parents  and  guardians  must  have  been  a  queer,  care 
less  set,  to  have  allowed  such  peril  to  those  most  dear  to 
them. 

Hyannis  is  made  up  of  very  genteel  residences,  with  good- 
sized  gardens,  in  a  fair  way  of  cultivation ;  a  large  hotel  is 
located  here,  and  several  livery  stables  for  carriage  letting ; 
the  whole  surroundings  of  this  charming  vicinity  are  very 
agreeable  to  the  beholder,  particularly  at  the  first  time  of 
seeing  the  place,  and  leave  quite  a  favorable  impres-ion  of 
its  many  pleasant  walks  and  drives.  As  in  most  town 
ships  along  the  Cape,  innumerable  fine  views  are  to  be  seen 
of  Father  Ocean  in  all  its  purity  and  grandeur.  Returning 
back  to  Yarmouth  Junction,  we  once  more  took  cars  on  the 
main  line  en  route  to  Sandwich,  a  distance  of  some  twenty 
miles. 

Sandwich. 

Some  friends  of  the  writer  were  in  waiting  at  the  Sand 
wich  (proper)  depot  to  receive  him  ;  there  are  three  Sand 
wiches  named  on  the  railway  time  schedule,  but  two  out  of 
them  seem  to  be  way-stations.  The  chief  business  and  main 
stay  of  the  town  formerly  was  the  Boston  and  Sandwich 
Glass  Company,  since  closed  (another  glass  corporation  was 
in  formation) ,  and  the  Tack  Works  ;  in  fact,  very  little  life 
would  be  observable  in  this  somewhat  stagnant  township,, 
without  the  aid  of  the  factory  operatives. 

The  principal  topic  of  conversation  of  all  the  towns-people 


68  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

in  the  summer  of  1883  was  the  projected  scheme  of  canal- 
butting  through  the  outlying  lowlands  and  marshes  of  Sand 
wich,  from  Buzzard's  Bay  to  Massachusetts  Bay ;  a  connect 
ing  link  of,  we  believe,  seven  miles  of  arduous  deep  delving 
and  cutting  ;  but  the  benefits  arising  therefrom  will  be  of  in 
calculable  value,  and  thus  saving  some  hundred  miles  of  tedious 
navigation  on  this  coast  of  storms  ;  and  if  the  expensive 
project  is  carried  out  as  proposed,  land  around  and  about 
Sandwich  will  rise  greatly  in  value,  by  the  great  undertaking 
of  the  Cape  Cod  Canal,  not  only  just  here,  but  all  along  the 
Cape  ;  real  estate  will  become  more  valuable  by  the  impetus 
given  to  the  shipping  interest  and  all  connected  therewith. 

Cape  Cod  Canal. 

Jan.  1,  1885.  In  a  notice  of  one  of  the  reports,  Mr. 
Fessendeu,  treasurer  of  the  Cape  Cod  Canal  Company, 
estimates  the  cost  of  cutting  the  canal  at  $7,500,000,  and 
that  it  will  take  three  years  to  complete  the  work.  Tne  ma 
chine  now  working,  removes  three  hundred  square  feet  of  earth 
per  day,  to  a  depth  that  will  float  a  contemplated  machine  to 
follow  after  the  first,  digging  it  much  deeper.  It  is  estimated 
the  annual  saving  on  transportation  of  coal  to  Boston  by 
this  route  over  the  old  will  go  far  toward  paying  good  divi 
dends  on  the  cost.  It  is  understood  that  Congress  will  be 
applied  to,  for  an  appropriation  to  aid  in  finishing  the  work. 
The  present  population  is  about  two  thousand  five  hundred 
inhabitants. 

Sandwich,  considering  its  sandy  soil,  has  some  nice  large 
yards  and  gardens  attached  to  the  better  class  of  residences, 
and  also  some  pleasant  cultivated  lots,  in  rear  of  the  artisans' 
dwellings,  few  of  whom,  instead  of  drinking  their  hard-earned 
wages  away,  have  saved  money  enough  to  purchase  little 
homesteads  of  their  own,  and  can  hold  their  heads  up  with 
dignity,  as  being  owners  of  some  real  estate  ;  instead  of 
having  the  mien  and  downcast,  poverty-stricken  look  of  the 
miserable  driuking-mau,  who  fritters  away  substnnce  and 
health,  also  ruining  the  happiness  and  future  prospects  of 
his  wife  and  family,  and  all  those  connected  with  him.  A 
friend  of  mine  has  purchased,  out  of  his  savings,  a  small 


RAMBLKS    IN    AMERICA.  69 

homestead,  and  added  to  it  a  chicken  farm  ;  he  and  his  wife 
are  proud  of  their  little  property,  and  their  success  in  the 
venture  of  poultry  raising  has  endeared  them  to  the  place* 
and  built  up  quite  a  business  in  the  sale  of  eggs  and  plump 
chickens.  While  staying  in  Sandwich,  from  Saturday  till 
Monday,  one  of  those  sudden  changes  in  the  barometer  oc 
curred,  so  peculiar  to  New  England  ;  the  thermometer  fell 
thirty  degrees  in  the  night  of  Saturday  and  Sunday  morning. 
From  the  stifling,  choking  heat  of  a  few  hours  before,  the 
Sabbath  morn  ushered  in  one  of  the  coldest  snaps  on  record 
for  July  ;  and  by  the  newspaper  accounts,  this  Sunday  cold 
wave  partly  ruined  the  Nantasket  and  other  hotel  keepers  of 
popular  shore  places,  as  the  owners  had  provided  largely  for 
a  big  hot  Sunday  and  Monday  ;  the  result  being,  tons  of  pro 
visions  had  to  be  thrown  away.  As  the  wind  was  almost 
blowing  a  gale,  interspersed  with  fitful  rain-squalls,  we  ven 
tured  to  the  beach  to  see  the  surf  in  its  grandeur,  and 
witnessed  a  somewhat  sad  sight  of  the  ravages  of  the  sea. 
A  few  hundred  yards  from  the  shore  was  a  poor  man's  sail 
boat,  rolling  in  the  heavy  surf,  fast  becoming  a  total  wreck. 
The  change  in  the  night's  temperature  had  caused  the  sea  to 
do  its  work  of  fury  on  the  little  craft,  and  as  the  timbers  of 
the  vessel  parted,  and  were  washed  ashore,  piecemeal,  the 
owner  of  the  unfortunate  craft  sorrowfully  picked  them  up, 
and  then  laid  the  pieces  out  of  reach  of  the  boiling,  seething 
surf  ;  but  the  loss  of  his  property  was  too  much  for  him,  and 
the  sympathy  of  the  little  knot  of  lookers  on  nearly  over 
powered  him  ;  he  wandered  away  from  the  sight  and  sound  of 
the  angry  element  that  had  devoured  up  his  little  all.  One 
amusing*  incident  out  of  the  misery  was  that  of  a  good- 
natured  Irishman,  —  a  sort  of  nondescript  fisherman,  who 
generously  endeavored  to  save  the  boat,  or  part  of  it. 
Stripping  his  clothes  off,  and  in  the  cold,  piercing,  bleak 
wind,  brave  Pat,  alone  and  unaided,  dashed  into  the  boiling 
surf,  knife  in  hand,  to  cut  the  cordage  and  drift  the  wreck 
on  shore,  where  plenty  of  willing  idlers  would  have  assisted 
him,  but  the  brave-hearted  son  of  Erin's  efforts  were  useless. 
The  hull,  or  what  remained  of  it,  was  too  firmly  embedded 
in  the  sand  to  move  for  one  man's  strength.  Returning 
from  the  almost  icy  water,  and  his  body  blue  with  cold,  our 


70  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

Irish  friend,  with  all  the  sang-froid  imaginable,  redressed, 
singing  and  smiling  as  he  put  on  his  garments,  just  as  if  it 
was  a  warm  bath  he  had  emerged  from,  instead  of  a  very 
cold  one. 

There  are  many  lakes  and  ponds  around  Sandwich,  and 
my  friends  told  me  in  one  of  these  waters  some  tame  fish 
are  located.  The  finny  tribe  come  to  a  lady's  call,  and 
receive  their  daily  allowance  of  food  from  her  fair  hands. 
The  lady's  residence  is  in  close  proximity  to  the  lake,  and 
the  towns-people  often  see  her  feeding  her  pets. 

Buzzard's  Bay. 

Still  on  the  Cape,  we  dashed  onward  from  Sandwich  to 
Buzzard's  Bay,  a  busy  railway  junction  of  the  Old  Colony 
Company.  Trains  from  Boston,  Fairhaven,  and  other  places 
are  continually  going  and  coming  here,  particularly  in  the 
summer  season,  when  the  city  relative  visits  the  country 
cousin  for  a  week  or  two's  fishing. 

In  staying  over  here  an  hour,  for  a  change  of  cars  for  Fal- 
mouth,  what  one  could  see  of  the  place  appeared  as  if  the 
station  was  settled  in  the  middle  of  a  field,  near  the  inlet  of 
a  pretty  little  bay,  emerging  from  the  ocean.  Some  few 
genteel  residences  are  seen  here,  situated  in  the  midst  of 
cultivated  gardens,  laid  out  with  much  taste  and  great  ex 
pense  ;  no  doubt  a  more  extended  view  would  lead  to  many 
natural  beauties  of  brake  and  glen,  babbling  brooks  and  flow 
ing  cascades,  emanating  and  branching  out  of  the  ever 
coming  and  going  tide  of  the  Great  Lake. 

Falmouth. 

Leaving  Buzzard's  Bay,  and  its  many  trains  of  incoming 
and  outgoing  passengers,  some  seeking  for  health,  and 
returning  with  bronzed  faces  and  bright  eyes,  we  turn  to 
wards  Falmouth,  passing  on  our  transit  many  very  pretty 
seashore  resorts,  such  as  Monument,  Pocasset,  and  some 
others,  all  coming  quietly  into  notice  every  year.  Young 
collegians,  home  for  their  vacations,  accompanied  by  sisters, 
cousins,  and  aunts,  assemble  here,  and  enjoy  their  freedom 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  71 

from  study  ;  drinking  in  fresh  stocks  of  health  and  vigor  with 
every  breath  thev  draw  of  the  pure  and  unadulterated  salt  air 
of  breezy  ocean, " close  by.  Arriving  at  Falmouth  station,  we 
were  speedily  ensconced  in  a  carriage  and  driven  to  the 
"  Hotel  Falmouth."  This  commodious  and  large  hotel  de 
serves  a  word  of  commendation  ;  the  obliging  proprietor,  Col. 
Dimick,  and  his  office  clerks,  are  very  pleasant  folks,  and  all 
the  arrangements  here  are  very  good  ;  excellent  bill  of  fare 
and  well-furnished  bedrooms,  and  the  hotel  is  situated  quite 
-central,  and  near  the  water  for  fishing,  boating,  bathing,  etc. 
On  the  following  morning  of  our  arrival  we  inspected  the 
"  Heights,"  another  edition  of  Martha's  Vineyard,  of  the  Bluffs 
•district.  About  sixty  cottages  dot  its  surface  around  Fal 
mouth,  and  the  view  from  their  windows  must  be  very 
•charming  ;  a  large,  well-appointed  hotel  is  one  of  the  promi 
nent  buildings  of  the  "  Heights."  A  kindly  old  gentleman, 
.a  cottage  owner  from  Worcester,  Mass.,  took  the  writer  in 
hand,  and  generously  showed  him  through,  explaining  every 
thing  worth  knowing  ;  how  the  circle  of  cottage  life  is  man 
aged.  Two  strong,  able  men  have  charge  of  all  the  cottages 
during  the  winter  season,  at  three  dollars  per  year  each 
•dwelling  ;  their  duties  being  to  look  after  the  houses  in  cold 
season,  cleaning  away  snow-drifts,  and  air  the  buildings  oc 
casionally  ;  the  same  men  cut  the  grass  in  summer,  and  fetch 
and  carry  pails  of  water  at  two  cents  per  pail  (this  being 
extra) ,  and  attend  to  the  sanitary  arrangements  at  nightfall, 
by  burying  the  soil  from  the  cottages,  there  being  no  cesspools 
on  the  place.  The  view  from  Falmouth  Heights,  overlooking 
the  Bay  and  Vineyard  Sound,  is  extremely  beautiful,  and 
it  was  no  surprise  to  find  my  kind  guide  so  pleased  and 
•contented  with  his  cottage  location,  far  away  from  the 
heated  city  of  Worcester.  Fishing  and  boating  parties 
are  every  day  made  up  from  the  hotels  and  residences, 
when  the  weather  and  wind  is  considered  suitable  for  the 
outing.  Bathing  is  much  in  vogue  here,  and  the  young 
people  (and  old  ones,  too)  paddle  and  swim  in  the  briny, 
with  all  the  zest  of  pent-up  city  folks,  and  to  their  hearts' 
delight  enjoy  the  delicious  freedom  of  a  vacation  holiday. 
A  few  days  after  we  left  Falmouth,  a  serious  accident  oc 
curred  somewhere  near  the  Heights  ;  a  four-in-hand  ' '  Tally 


72  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

ho  "  coach,  on  ascending  the  eminence,  packed  with  a  merry 
party  of  gentlemen,  was  suddenly  overturned  by  the  horses 
becoming  unmanageable  ;  amongst  the  most  injured,  Col. 
Dimick  was  mentioned  as  one  of  the  number ;  we  trust,  how 
ever,  that  he  nnd  the  other  unfortunate  gentlemen  have  long 
ago  recovered  from  their  tumble  and  shock  down  the  bluffs. 

A  short  ride  of  about  four  miles  brings  us  to  Woods  Holl, 
where  we  take  the  New  Bedford  steamer  for  home. 

Onset  Bay. 

One  of  the  pleasantest  and  prettiest  sails  out  of  New 
Bedford  is  the  trip  to  Onset  Bay.  The  journey  is  quite  a 
smooth  river  ride,  and  the  varied  scenery  along  the  Cape 
shore  makes  it  a  very  enlivening  excursion.  As  the  traveller 
nears  Onset  Ba}',  a  little  cluster  of  islands  dot  its  entrance, 
with  fresh  verdure  and  foliage  charming  to  behold ;  the 
shallow  water  at  low  tide  oftentimes  causes  some  delay  and 
inconvenience  to  passengers  and  to  the  steamer's  landing 
at  the  wharf,  though  through  the  skilful  pilot's  good  steer 
ing  and  knowledge  of  the  shoals  —  which  here  abound  — 
an  effective  disembarkation  generally  takes  place.  Onset 
Bay,  of  a  Sunday  in  the  camping  season,  is  quite  a  lively 
affair,  and  will  bear  good  comparison  with  the  camping  at 
Martha's  Vineyard.  In  the  summers  of  1882  and  1883,  on 
some  Sabbath  days  fully  six  thousand  persons  were  present, 
the  visitors  coming  by  boat,  rail,  and  teams,  from  all  parts,, 
the  majority  of  the  company  being  Spiritualists,  who  congre 
gate  here  for  a  few  weeks'  vacation  and  spiritual  intercourse 
with  evident  enjoyment.  A  very  fine  band  from  Mitldleboro 
discoursed  some  excellent  music,  followed  by  singing  of  the 
society's  choir.  The  speakers  on  the  theme  of  Spiritualism 
were  invariably  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  eloquence  and  ability, 
and  were  listened  to  by  the  large  audience  in  the  grove  with 
much  attention.  A  commodious  hotel  restaurant  has  just 
been  built,  where  visitors  can  get  a  decent  dinner,  and  a 
little  further  in  the  bay,  across  a  small  inlet,  navigable  by 
boats,  is  a  clam-bake  dinner,  every  Sunday  while  the  Spirit 
ualists  are  in  session,  and  which  repast  in  its  rough  way  is 
very  excellent,  and  seemed  to  be  well  patronized.  Onset 


•  KAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  73 

Bay  is  a  very  growing  place  ;  the  land  is  being  bought  up  in 
lots,  and  witi  no  doubt  give  a  good  return  to  the  cottage 
builders  and  investors.  Some  avenues  and  roads  have  been 
constructed,  and  great  progress  every  year  is  being  made,  and 
a  marked  improvement  enacted  in  its  surroundings.  To  a 
lover  of  retirement  (on  week-days)  this  charming  bay  could 
be  strongly  recommended.  There  are  good  sailing  and  fish 
ing  in  the  bay,  pleasant  reunions  on  land,  with  the  sociable 
friends  along  its  hospitable  shore.  The  forest  fires  along 
Cape  Cod,  particularly  in  and  about  Sandwich,  were  very  de 
structive  the  summer'of  1882,  and  every  night  during  August 
the  fires  illuminated  the  horizon  on  the  Cape  shore,  and  the 
sight  at  times  was  exceedingly  grand  and  imposing.  Occa 
sionally  the  flames  could  be  seen  as  they  wrapped  the  tallest 
pines ;  and  the  swiftness  with  which  they  were  consumed 

fave  some  idea  of  the  hurrying  march  of  the  fiery  element, 
'he  largest  fires  were  in  West  Sandwich,  another  place 
called  Spring  Hill,  where  the  flames  were  at  least  one  mile 
wide,  and  burning  fiercely,  traversing  good  woodland.  The 
wind  was  so  strong,  one  day,  that  the  conflagration  leaped 
across  one  of  the  widest  thoroughfares  in  Sandwich  It  was 
understood  that  when  the  fire  was  at  its  height,  the  men  had 
withdrawn  all  efforts  of  stopping  the  flames,  their  attempts 
being  useless. 

President  Cleveland's  Wife.  —  Marion,  Mass. 

About  fifteen  miles  from  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  is  a  pleas 
ant  little  township  on  the  Cape,  called  Marion, — a  noted 
place  for  summer  visitors  to  pass  a  few  weeks  of  the  hot 
season  in,  partly  on  account  of  the  advantages  of  the  pretty, 
natural  inlet  of  the  waters  of  Buzzard's  Bay,  and  for  yacht 
ing,  fishing,  and  bathing  purposes.  Mrs.  Grover  Cleveland 
paid  this  quaint  little  hamlet  a  visit  of  some  five  weeks'  dura 
tion  in  August  and  September,  1887,  and  caused  by  her  pres 
ence  to  popularize  Marion  from  its  natural  seclusion  of  a  quiet 
watering  resort  to  a  well-known  town,  far  and  wide.  The 
writer,  having  an  invitation  from  a  gentleman  friend  at  Marion 
for  a  day's  sail  in  his  yacht,  welcomed  the  invite,  inasmuch  as 
the  narrator  wished  to  see  the  lady  of  the  White  House  in 


74  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  ^  • 

her  pastoral  garb  of  unassuming  mien.  To  see  Mrs.  Cleve 
land  on  the  lawn  of  Gen.  Greely's  house,  watching  her  host's 
children  sportively  playing,  she  seemed  as  if  eager  to  join  in 
the  youngsters'  sports,  and  to  shake  off,  for  the  time,  at 
least,  the  stately  dignity  of  receiving  foreign  diplomats  at 
Washington  and  other  receptions  of  her  own  people.  The 
president's  wife  entered  her  carriage,  accompanied  by  other 
ladies,  and  escorted  by  Gen.  Greel}',  bent  on  a  mission  to  a 
garden  party  in  Marion.  Nothing  could  exceed  the  grace 
ful  bow  and  smile  with  which  Mrs.  Cleveland  greeted  the 
obeisance  of  the  scribe,  as  he  stood  uncovered  while  the 
equipage  passed  him  on  the  country  road,  The  first  ladv  in 
the  laud  of  America,  as  she  is  termed,  appeared  very  young- 
looking,  of  the  medium  height,  dressed  quietly  in  black  silk 
attire,  and  with  a  very  pleasant,  charming,  expressive  coun 
tenance,  and  it  is  no  great  surprise  that  this  apparently 
amiable  lady  has  won  the  hearts  of  Marion  folks  by  her 
simple,  unaffected  manner,  and  raised  the  once  quiet  town 
into  a  well-known  summer  resort  for  Americans  and  others. 

Taunton,  Mass.,  Revisited. 

After  an  absence  of  many  years,  in  revisiting  a  locality  one 
naturally  expects  to  find  many  alterations.  This  was  not 
the  case  here,  for  most  of  the  old  landmarks  around  about 
the  Four  Corners  had  remained,  with  a  few  more  newly 
erected  dwellings  of  the  villa  and  cottage  size,  the  most  visi 
ble  difference  being  the  extension  of  Messrs.  Reed  &  Barton's 
works,  the  celebrated  silver  ware  manufacturers,  whose  some 
what  small  business  premises  of  twenty  years  ago  are  now 
replaced  by  a  square  of  blocks  of  brick-built  workshops  of 
the  most  commodious  kind.  Some  of  the  old  hands  were 
found  still  working  for  this  excellent  firm  in  the  same  routine 
way  as  when  the  writer  first  visited  Taunton,  nearly  a  quar 
ter  of  a  century  ago.  Another  long  range  of  buildings,  called 
the  Whittenton  Mills,  for  making  cotton  cloth,  employing 
some  hundreds  of  men  and  women  in  their  extensive  work 
rooms,  also  made  an  impression  on  the  traveller  of  many 
lands,  who  beheld  the  comfortable-looking  mills  and  the 
employees'  dwelling-houses  for  the  first  time.  Around  and 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  75 

about  the  "  Green,"  in  the  centre  of  the  city,  there  has  neces 
sarily  been  many  changes,  improvements,  and  alterations, 
:such  as  new  buildings  and  stores,  a  theatre,  and  a  very 
handsome  water  fountain  adorns  the  green  sward  opposite 
the  City  Hotel,  and  several  new  churches  have  been  erected 
within  a  few  years,  including  a  Catholic  granite  edifice.  A 
line  of  horse-cars  from  the  Weir  to  the  Whittenton  is  one 
of  the  conveniences  which  assist  to  complete  the  transforma 
tion  scene  now  being  enacted  of  life's  changes  in  the  forward 
march  of  this  age  of  progress. 

Quite  a  pleasant  place  is  the  "  Green,"  particularly  on 
busy  days  and  Saturday  morning's  auction  sales  near  the 
•enclosure,  where  the  farmers  buj*  and  sell  all  sorts  of  agri 
cultural  implements,  and  try  to  trade  off  horses  and  cows, 
pigs  and  chickens  ;  but  the  great  event  of  the  week  is  Satur 
day  evenings,  when  the  store-keepers  dress  their  windows 
to  meet  the  eye  of  the  numerous  strollers  from  all  parts  of 
Taunton  and  the  suburbs ;  the  industrious  workers  from  the 
adjacent  mills  and  various  factories  find  a  rest  and  relief  by 
a  visit  to  the  cheerful  "  Green,"  where  animation  reigns  su 
preme,  and  where  the  promenade  (amidst  the  well-lighted 
stores)  of  young  men  and  maidens  passing  to  and  fro  causes 
much  amusement  of  recognition.  Within  a  short  time  a  new 
depot  has  been  erected  at  Whittenton  by  the  Old  Colony 
Railway  Company,  and  an  enlargement  of  the  main  depot 
(Wales  Street)  has  been  effected,  on  account  of  the  increas 
ing  traffic  through  to  Boston,  Providence,  and  elsewhere. 
Near  this  railroad  station  are  the  very  extensive  works  of 
Messrs.  Mason  &  Co.,  who  are  known  over  the  wide  world 
for  the  manufacture  of  their  celebrated  locomotives.  In 
April,  1883,  Ex-President  Diaz  of  Mexico  and  suite  in 
spected  these  works,  while  on  a  visit  to  the  United  States, 
and  were  much  pleased  at  what  they  saw  in  the  various  pro 
cesses  of  machine  working  power.  The  illustrious  guests 
also  visited  Messrs.  Reed  &  Barton's  silver-ware  establish 
ment,  and  though  this  manufactory  is  of  a  totally  different 
nature  from  locomotive  construction,  yet  the  Ex-President 
party  were  quite  interested  in  the  unique  designs  of  the  or 
namental  articles  submitted  to  their  notice.  The  Episcopal 
Church,  Saint  Thomas's,  is  a  very  nice  edifice;  the  archi- 


76  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

tectural  arrangement  of  the  interior  is  of  good  church  build 
ing,  and  in  character  with  the  sacredness  of  the  structure. 
More  up  town,  near  the  Four  Corners,  on  Bay  Street,  is  a 
somewhat  plain  little  church.  Saint  John's,  Episcopal.  The 
writer,  on  a  recent  visit  to  Taunton,  was  much  pleased  and 
impressed  with  the  discourse  of  the  resident  officiating 
clergyman,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Mansfield  (since  resigned),  a  gen 
tleman  well  qualified  for  his  vocation  in  his  endeavor  to  save 
souls  ;  the  earnestness  and  forcible  speaking  of  the  minister 
were  irresistible  to  the  listener,  and  the  sacred  edifice  deserved 
to  have  had  a  more  numerous  congregation  to  hear  so  able  a 
preacher  of  the  Lord's  Holy  Word.  Both  St.  Thomas's  and 
St.  John's  churches  some  time  since  had  a  bequest  of  five 
thousand  dollars  each,  kindly  bequeathed  to  them  by  the  late 
Mr.  Crocker,  of  Taunton. 

Perch  Fishing,  near  Taunton. 

Many  enjoyable  rides  and  drives  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
city  are  to  be  had,  and  nothing  can  be  more  pleasant  of  a 
breezy  spring  morning  than  to  take  a  dash  along  the  country 
side  as  far  as  Lakeville  and  surrounding  places,  where  there 
are  some  good  cultivated  farms,  with  their  busy  life  of  hus 
bandry,  in  the  midst  of  refreshing  sights,  sounds,  and  per 
fumes  of  Nature's  sweet  fragrance  ;  a  good  antidote  to  a 
worn,  weary  business  man,  just  released  from  artificial  city 
life.  In  fact,  the  neighborhood  of  Taunton  comprises  some 
of  the  most  beautiful  cultivated  lake  scenery  in  Massachu 
setts  ;  and  there  are  several  streams,  abounding  with  trout, 
perch,  and  others  of  the  finny  tribe,  which  often  induce  the 
formation  of  picnic  parties  among  ladies  and  gentlemen,  for 
the  purpose  of  angling  for  golden  perch,  a  species  of  fish 
very  common  in  the  American  lakes  and  rivers,  and  ex 
tremely  beautiful  from  the  golden  splendor  of  their  bright 
and  shining  scales.  The  narrator  was  invited  to  a  party  of 
this  description,  and  the  place  of  our  destination  was  a 
stream  running  through  a  romantic  glen  some  miles  from 
town.  The  ladies  of  our  party  were,  after  some  little  hesi 
tation,  prevailed  upon  to  wield  their  fishing-poles,  and  decoy 
some  of  the  wary  perches  from  their  watery  haunts,  vividly 
reminding  one  of  those  lines  of  Izaak  Walton :  — 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  77 

"  The  ladies  angling  in  the  crystal  lake 
Feast  on  the  waters  with  the  prey  they  take  ; 
At  once  victorious  with  their  lines  and  eyes, 
They  make  the  fishes  and  the  men  their  prize." 

And  surely  some  of  my  male  acquaintances  must  have  been 
somewhat  smitten  with  the  fair  anglers1  charms,  for  while  the 
former  unhooked  the  captive  fish  and  furnished  fresh  bait, 
they,  with  true  American  flatteiy,  stated  it  as  their  strong 
conviction,  that  the  finny  victims  of  these  piscatorial  charms 
must  have  felt  more  pleasure  than  pain  at  being  ensnared  by 
such  fascinating  anglers.  We  would  fancy  the  poor  fish,  if 
they  thought  at  all,  came  to  a  very  different  conclusion. 
When  the  day's  sport  was  over,  our  party  returned  home, 
delighted  with  their  trip,  and  laden  with  piscatorial  spoils, 
which  were  afterwards  cooked  and  laid  before  us,  and  duly 
discussed  with  other  delicacies  at  the  supper  given  by  our 
kind  entertainer.  The  company  assembled  on  that  evening 
was  composed  partly  of  English  and  American  friends,  the 
reunion  being  perfectly  in  harmony  of  sentiment,  with  a 
strong  disposition  on  the  part  of  all  present  to  contribute  to 
the  cheerfulness  and  merriment  of  the  gathering.  A  long 
vista  of  years  has  passed  since  this  episode  just  described, 
and  many  of  the  gleeful  company  have  gone  to  their  long 
rest ;  yet  the  pleasing  remembrance  of  old  friends  is  ever 
fresh  and  green  in  the  mind  of  the  narrator,  as  a  cheerful 
item  of  past  memories. 

Squabetty,  and  its  Myriads  of  Fish. 

As  historian  of  the  present  as  well  as  the  past  of 
this  great  continent,  kindly  accompany  the  biographer  in 
his  rovings  to  another  fishing  excursion  of  quite  recent  date 
(May,  1890),  and  of  a  totally  different  character  in  the 
habits  and  mode  of  catching  fish.  Before  describing  the 
herring  fishery,  permit  the  writer  and  the  young  friend 
who  accompanied  him  to  say  a  few  words  of  the  road  on 
which  we  passed.  A  very  pleasant  carriage  drive  of  some 
-five  miles  from  Taunton  Centre  brings  the  tourist  to  a  vil 
lage  called  Squabetty  (once  a  thriving  iron-works),  in  the 
East  Taunton  district.  On  the  road  thither,  either  walking 


78  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

or  riding,  particularly  along  Dean  Street,  it  is  simply  delight 
ful  to  watch  the  pretty  flowing  river,  with  its  well-cultivated 
grassy  banks  and  gardens  on  either  side  ;  and  the  old  homes 
of  the  Dean  family  are  here  marked  out,  with  reminiscences  of 
the  early  transfer  of  the  surrounding  lands.  A  new,  sub 
stantial  bridge  at  this  point  crosses  the  Taunton  River  to 
wards  a  fine  modern-built  water-works,  a  visit  to  which  is  of 
very  interesting  character.  Farther  along  to  a  junction  of 
roads  we  come  to  a  large  peach  orchard,  of  very  superior 
kind,  and  the  early  bloom  of  pink  blossoms  gave  a"  beautify 
ing  aspect  to  the  well-kept  grounds.  On  descending  the  hill 
side  to  the  valley  approaching  Squabetty  village  is  a  magnif 
icent  avenue  of  elm-trei'S,  bending  over  and  clinging  in  their 
umbrageous  embrace,  as  it  were,  which  must  be,  when  in  full 
verdure  of  leafy  foliage,  a  shady  retreat  of  great  enjoyment* 

About  the  middle  of  April  is  the  usual  swarming  time 
for  the  herrings  to  leave  their  sea  haunts  for  the  spawning 
grounds  on  the  Taunton  River,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Mid- 
dleboro,  and  that  place  is  the  chief  station  for  seining  or 
netting  what  fish  are  wanted  ;  two  other  fishing-pounds  are  at 
Dighton  and  Somerset.  A  small  darn,  or  miniature  water 
fall,  is  just  by  the  bridge  at  Squabetty,  and  in  their  frantic 
endeavors  to  reach  the  smooth  waters  of  the  Taunton  River  r 
the  unfortunate  herrings  have  an  insurmountable  obstacle  — 
that  of  the  turbulent  weir  —  to  pass  ;  thousands,  tens  of  thou 
sands,  perhaps  millions  of  these  sturdy,  plucky  fish  attempt 
to  swim  against  the  avalanche,  to  get  over  to  the  glassy 
stream  beyond  ;  a  few  pass  over,  but  the  majority  are  thrown 
back  by  the  dam's  current,  some  injured  fatally,  while  others 
are  thrown  bodily  on  to  the  shore.  In  their  eagerness  to  get 
through,  their  shining,  scaly  bodies  are  oftentimes  hurled 
from  five  to  seven  feet  high,  falling  back  in  the  rapid  cur 
rent,  or  cast  on  to  the  banks.  With  amazement  the  visitor 
beholds  this  humble  and  sometimes  despised  fish  show  such 
strength  and  indomitable  will  to  pass  the  rapids  to  its  prop 
agating  home,  and  in  the  bright  sunlight,  the  coruscation  of 
the  flying  myriads  of  fish  almost  dazzles  the  on-lookers  by 
this  curious  phenomenon  of  natural  wonder. 

To  assist  the  herring  tribe,  the  renters  of  the  waters  have 
invented  what  is  called  'l  The  Boxes"  ;  a  sort  of  plank  divis- 


RAMBLES    IN    AMK1MCA. 


79 


ion,  of  strong  woodwork,  is  built  and  fixed  securely  in  a 
kind  of  canal  rapid,  the  other  side  of  the  waterfall,  thus 
forming  a  breakwater  in  sections,  and  the  velocity  of  the 
rushing  stream  hurls  the  fish  into  these  safety  boxes,  where 
the  finny  creatures  rest,  preparatory  to  another  venture  into 
the  next  division  of  the  boxes,  where  the  fish  pant  and  re 
cover  their  strength  for  other  attempts  to  go  on  for  a  few 
yards  more,  when  the  brave  fellows  get  into  the  smooth  water 
of  Taunton  River. 


The  writer  of  these  pages  was  much  amused  at  witness 
ing  the  tenacity  of  purpose  of  these  fish  in  preparing  to  gen 
erate  their  young  ;  in  the  same  way,  small  birds  will  work 
with  their  little  bodies,  with  such  untiring  zeal,  in  the  build 
ing  of  their  nests ;  and  the  common  herring  has  a  greater 
value  in  one's  eyes,  when  we  behold  their  almost  savage 
fight  with  the  watery  elements,  in  trying  to  get  to  their 
yearly  abode  to  propagate,  and  an  observer  can  feel  great 


80  L'AMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

respect  for  this  humble  fish  species,  in  their  heroic  efforts  to 
reach  the  river  home  of  their  infaucv. 


Taunton  Insane  Asylum, 

This  institution,  said  to  be  one  of  the  finest  and  best  con 
ducted  in  the  country,  is  situated  in  the  suburbs  of  Taunton. 
We  were  courteously  received  by  the  chief  medical  super 
intendent,  and  shown  through  the  various  wards  by  his 
assistant  surgeon,  who  seemed  to  have  great  influence  over 
the  unfortunate  patients.  To  attempt  to  describe  the  differ 
ent  phases  of  madness  of  the  miserable  beings  incarcerated 
here  would  be  too  harrowing  in  detail ;  suffice  it  to  say,  that 
religious  mania  of  various  grades,  excessive  rum  drinking 
results,  and  inherent  insanity,  running  through  families  for 
generations,  by  marriages  which  are  worse  than  wicked, 
make  up  the  sum  total  of  nearly  all  insane  asylums. 

The  Taunton  asylum  is  pleasantly  situated  on  elevated 
ground,  a  little  out  of  the  city  ;  the  buildings,  which  are  large 
and  spacious,  command  a  noble  view  of  the  surrounding 
country.  Jn  short,,  the  splendid  accommodations  for  the 
patients,  the  admirable  arrangements  throughout,  and  the 
apparently  humane,  kind  treatment  of  the  suffering  inmates, 
all  claim  for  this  hospital  the  character  of  being  one  of  the 
noblest  institutions  in  America  for  suffering  humanity  ;  and 
vies  with  the  mother  country,  England,  in  kindred  and  good 
emulation,  by  endeavoring  to  alleviate  the  poor,  stricken,  rea 
son-bereft  souls,  in  their  pitiful  infirmity.  In  visiting  this 
asylum,  some  years  ago,  the  most  affecting  case  in  the 
women's  department  was  that  of  a  young  lady,  about  nine 
teen  years  old  ;  but  though  so  }7oung,  at  the  point  of  death. 
When  we  entered  her  little  bed-chamber,  she  partly  turned 
round  on  her  col,  and  her  countenance  bore,  as  is  not  unu 
sual  in  such  cases,  the  impress  of  returning  reason,  prior  to 
dissolution.  The  doctor  felt  her  pulse,  and  whispered  in 
my  ear  that  she  was  sinking  fast ;  nor  could  one  help  think 
ing  how  this  bud  of  fair  promise  had  been  blighted,  how  the 
joy  of  her  famihT  and  friends  had  been  turned  by  her  in 
firmity  into  poignant  sorrow.  It  was  gratifying  to  observe 
whnt  kind  and  affectionate  attentions  she  received  from  her 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  81 

afflicted  companions  in  confinement,  and  what  care  they 
took  to  bring  her,  daily,  fresh  bouquets  of  wild  flowers,  to 
adorn  her  death-bed ;  a  plain  proof  that  even  though  the 
lamp  of  reason  burn  dim,  the  affections  and  sympathies  still 
continue,  undiminished  in  warmth  and  power.  "  The  anxi 
ety  of  those  around  her,"  said  my  guide,  ."  has  hourly  been 
more  intense,  nor  scarcely  can  I  enter  the  ward,  without 
being  led  to  the  poor  girl's  bedside  ;  for  these  unfortunates 
imagine,  like  some  sane  persons,  that  our  art  can  accomplish 
miracles.  However,"  added  he,  "  her  sufferings  will  soon  be 
over,  for  the  pulse  already  is  nearly  imperceptible,  and  the 
unerring  sign  of  returning  reason  leaves  but  little  doubt  of 
her  speedy  death."  This  affecting  scene  is  touchingly  por 
trayed  in  the  following  sonnet,  written  impromptu  by  a 
kinsman  of  mine,  to  whom  I  had  mentioned  the  circum 
stance  :  — 

"  Upon  a  couch  she  lay  —  young,  sick,  and  pale, 

Bereft  of  reason's  soul-inspiring  beam, 
She  who  had  trod  the  hill  and  flowery  dale  — 

A  village  Flora,  wandering  by  the  stream. 
The  roses  from  her  peachy  cheek  had  fled, 

The  lustre  from  her  bright  blue  eyes  was  fading ; 
Those  lips  now  pale,  though  once  so  warm  and  red, 

As  though  ripe  cherries  were  them  shading; 
Yet  not  alone,  — for  she  had  dreaming  been, 

And  so  dream'd  of  those  then  gone  forever ; 
But  with  those  dreams  came  reason's  potent  queen 

Yet  once  again,  but  soon,  too  soon,  to  sever, 
For  quick  her  bruis'd  and  weary  spirit  flew 

Up  to  the  stars  which  shine  in  cloudless  blue." 

Since  our  long  absence  from  Tauutou,  we  found  a  new 
wing  had  been  added  to  the  asylum,  thus  showing  the  in 
crease  of  insanity.  Gloom,  however,  does  not  always  rest 
at  this  hospital.  Festivities  are  provided  by  the  thoughtful 
managers  occasionally,  such  as  theatrical  performances  by 
amateurs.  Dancing,  music,  and  games  are  indulged  in  by 
the  attendants  and  convalescent  patients,  the  other  invalids 
looking  stolidly  on,  sometimes  with  a  gleam  of  reason  and 
sunshine  on  their  blank  faces. 

The  population  of  Taunton,  in  the  census  returns  of  1885, 
was  23,674.  The  recent  census  of  1890,  when  completed, 
will  in  all  probability  enumerate  the  city  about  27,000. 


82  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 


The   Floods   at  Taunton. 

The  month  of  February,  1889,  will  be  long  remembered 
as  an  eventful  episode  to  the  inhabitants  of  Taunton  and  its 
vicinity,  by  the  disastrous  flooding  of  the  district,  caused  by 
the  freshets  of  copious  rains,  and  ice  and  snow  suddenly 
melting,  thus  pouring  down  on  every  available  low  land,  like 
a  gigantic  avalanche  pushed  on  by  rapid,  turbid  streams  ; 
breaking  through  dams,  tearing  bridges  from  their  supports, 
causing  dwellings  to  totter  and  fall,  factories  to  sap  their 
foundations,  creating  consternation  and  dismay  on  young 
and  old  during  the  water-king's  reign  of  terror  of  those 
days  in  the  sad  awakening  of  the  mighty  power  of  rushing 
waters  and  ravages  of  inundations. 

Though  the  destruction  of  many  thousands  of  dollars  was- 
the  result  of  this  direful  visitation,  yet  happily  we  record  no 
loss  of  life,  though  the  calamity  was  felt  very  severely  by 
small  property  holders  and  tenants,  who  lost  nearly  all  they 
possessed,  insurance  on  water  damage  being  of  no  avail  in 
this  instance.  The  fine  brick-built  factory  of  Messrs.  Reed 
&  Barton's  silver-ware  works  was  injured  some  $10,000, 
while  Messrs.  Lovering's  cotton  mills  at  Whittenton  suffered 
to  a  still  larger  amount,  and  many  others  at  the  "  Green  " 
and  "  Weir"  were  financial  losers  by  the  sudden  loosening 
of  the  surging  element. 

The  mayor  and  City  Council  of  Taunton  were  equal  to  the 
occasion,  and  promptly,  by  its  action,  voted  large  sums  of 
money  to  quickly  as  possible  repair  the  sad  havoc  made  by 
the  floods,  which  caused  immediate  work  for  many  men  out 
of  employment.  The  fire  department,  police,  and  citizen 
volunteers  of  the  city  worked  with  a  will,  night  and  day,  till 
nigh  exhausted,  in  their  valiant  efforts  to  save  life  and  prop 
erty,  calling  forth  much  commendation  for  their  energy  and 
bravery  towards  suffering  humanity. 

Hon.  Henry  M.  Lovering,  of  Whittenton. 

Mr.  Lovering,  a  gentleman  well  known  in  Taunton,  has, 
we  understand,  generously  given  seven  hundred  square  feet 
of  land  in  the  suburbs  of  the  city,  near  Scadding's  Pond,  for 
the  use  of  young  men  to  play  ball,  or  any  other  game  of 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  8$ 

manly  out-door  sports.  The  ground  will  be  graded  and  lev 
elled  into  proper  form  by  the  giver,  and  we  may  say  such  a  gift 
is  a  great  boon  in  a  growing  neighborhood,  where  young  peo 
ple  can  enjoy  themselves  untramelled,  in  a  judicious  manner, 
either  on  Saturday  afternoons  or  summer  evenings,  besides 
being  on  a  healthy  recreation  grassy  laud,  after  the  confine 
ment  of  the  business  occupation  of  the  day.  The  donor 
deserves  the  thanks  of  -the  numerous  recipients  of  this  favor, 
who,  no  doubt,  will  appreciate  the  offering  by  many  a  well- 
contested  game  of  base-ball  in  the  future. 

The  anniversary  of  the  cattle  show  and  fair  of  Sept.  25, 
and  two  following  days,  held  on  the  outskirts  of  Tauntour 
Bristol  County,  is  a  yearly  event  of  much  interest  to  the 
farmer,  mill- worker,  and  artisan,  all  of  whom  don  their 
holiday  attire  during  the  three  gala  days'  amusement  and 
excitement.  Factories  and  workshops  generally  shutdown* 
on  one  of  the  days,  when  crowds  of  people  inspect  the  fat 
cattle,  and  criticise  the  trotting  races  around  the  well- 
graded  track.  The  hnll  for  the  exhibition  of  fruits  and 
vegetables,  specimens  of  fine  art-work,  and  choice  ladies'" 
needle-work,  is  always  well  patronized  by  sight-seers. 

Taunton's  Great  Celebration  of  June  4, 1889. 

Never,  perhaps,  in  the  annals  of  celebration  did  the  citizens 
of  any  town  or  city  work  with  such  a  will  as  the  Tauntouites 
did  in  preparing  and  organizing  the  vast  event  of  its  twa 
hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  town's  formation. 
From  the  year  1639  to  1889  — almost  from  the  day  of  the 
Pilgrims'  landing  at  Plymouth  Rock  —  does  Taunton  trace  her 
two  and  a  half  centuries  pedigree.  And  during  the  day  of 
June  4,  1889,  the  event  was  celebrated  by  story  and  song ; 
interesting  speeches  of  old  reminiscences,  till  present  time,, 
were  delivered  by  scholarly  gentlemen  of  Massachusetts  and 
other  States.  The  historical  review  by  Judge  Edmund  EL 
Bennett,  at  Music  Hall,  was  an  interesting  and  masterly 
address,  and,  followed  by  the  meritorious  poem,  by  Henry 
W.  Colby,  of  historical  events  of  the  town's  rise  and  prog 
ress,  impressed  its  hearers  with  the  many  vicissitudes  of  a 
two  and  a  half  centuries  pedigree.  Banquets,  balls,  ad- 


#4  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

dresses,  receptions,  and  Beethoven  Society  vocal  singing, 
followed  by  a  grand  dance  in  Armory  Hall,  with  Reeves's  full 
band  in  attendance,  completed  the  first  day's  celebration ; 
and  great  credit  is  due  to  the  various  joint  committees,  by 
their  many  months'  efforts  of  preparation  in  thus  carrying 
out  the  wishes  of  the  community  of  the  district.  The  ban 
quet  at  Agricultural  Hall  was  attended  by  Vice-President 
Levi  P  Morton,  Gov.  Oliver  Ames,  and  a  number  of  dis 
tinguished  guests. 

The  second  day's  festivities  consisted  of  trades  proces 
sion,  historical  tableaux,  singing  by  children  of  public 
schools,  etc.,  concluding  by  an  elaborate  display  of  fireworks 
in  the  evening.  At  eleven  o'clock  A.  M.  the  procession 
started  on  its  line  of  march,  passing  through  some  of  the 
leading  thoroughfares  and  a  few  side  streets.  The  multi 
tude  of  people  on  the  sidewalks  and  roadways,  with  the 
influx  of  visitors  from  adjacent  towns,  numbered  up  in  the 
thousands.  Every  foot  of  ground  and  every  vantage  place 
of  window,  piazza,  or  balcony  were  crowded  with  human 
faces  to  catch  a  sight  of  Taunton's  pageant.  It  is  computed 
that  not  less  than  twenty  thousand  sight-seers  came  from 
neighboring  cities,  thus  augmenting  Taunton's  owrn  towns 
people  by  a  large  gathering  of  humanity. 

It  would  tire  the  reader  to  enumerate  all  that  was  to  be 
seen  on  that  ever-to-be-remembered  Wednesday,  June  5, 
1889  ;  but  suffice  it  to  say,  the  historical  tableaux,  the  smart- 
looking  fire  companies,  the  mounted  Indians,  and  the  trades 
procession  generally,  were  a  great  success  of  the  grand  mus 
ter  of  business  men  and  their  employees,  many  of  whom 
worked  at  their  trades  in  their  movable  temporary  work 
shops. 

Every  conceivable  business  was  here  represented,  and  in 
many  instances  the  costly  teams  of  fine  horses  and  equip 
ment  must  have  taken  much  time  and  care  in  the  prepara 
tion  for  this  notable  day.  A  striking  feature  of  one  of  the 
many  teams  of  the  trades  procession  was  an  artistic  store 
on  wheels,  fitted  out  for  the  occasion  by  Messrs.  Reed  & 
Barton,  the  eminent  silver-ware  firm,  established  in  Taun- 
ton  over  half  a  century.  Securely  fixed  on  this  novel  and 
graceful  vehicle  were  displayed  silver  ice  pitchers,  tea  and 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  85 

coffee  services,  cake  baskets  and  other  numerous  works  of 
art,  placed  on  a  velvet  platform,  interspersed  with  flowers, 
the  whole  combined  giving  a  very  novel  and  unique  effect ; 
and  the  shaking  of  this  curious  carriage,  drawn  by  richly  ca 
parisoned  horses,  managed  by  a  jaunty  driver,  over  the  jolting 
road,  never  displaced  the  numerous  pretty  and  choice  goods 
of  artistic  skill  on  this  movable  store  of  glitter,  in  the  mid 
day  sunlight. 

The  numerous  exhibits,  from  one  end  of  the  procession  to 
the  other,  were  almost  inexhaustive,  from  the  raw,  crude  ma 
terial  to  the  finished  work  of  skilled  labor,  thus  forcibly 
showing  what  individual  effort  could  do  in  assisting  to  make 
their  two  centuries  and  a  half  formation  a  success  in  the 
way  of  a  great  demonstration. 

It  scarcely  need  be  stated  that  every  factory,  mill,  workship, 
and  store,  also  offices  of  all  kinds,  were  closed  to  do  homage 
to  the  ancient  town's  Jubilee  of  1889.  Hon.  Henry  M.  Lover- 
ing  officiated  as  chief  marshal  of  the  day,  acquitting  himself 
nobly  of  his  many  duties,  in  which  he  was  ably  assisted  by  the 
deputy  marshal  and  a  number  of  efficient  aids.  Carriages 
containing  his  Excellency  Oliver  Ames,  Governor  of  Massa 
chusetts,  accompanied  by  staff  officers ;  his  Honor  R.  Henry 
Hall,  mayor  of  Taunton  (president  of  the  day),  judges  and 
notable  dignitaries,  members  of  the  city  government  and 
other  officials,  gave  a  dignity  by  their  presence  to  the  time- 
honored  celebration. 

The  trades  procession,  military  and  civil,  with  fire  compa 
nies  and  numerous  historical  tableaux,  took  nearly  two  hours 
in  passing  a  given  point,  and  though  somewhat  lengthy  in 
some  of  its  duplicate  teams  of  business,  it  did  not  seern  to 
tire  one,  but,  on  the  contrary,  all  seemed  pleased  at  the  efforts 
made  to  celebrate  this  great  day.  Special  mention  can  be 
made  of  the  first-rate  and  excellent  bands  of  music,  which 
greatly  added  to  the  full  enjoyment  of  the  scene ;  and  the 
committee  of  arrangements  were  not  niggardly  in  their  en 
gaging  such  a  goodly  number  of  bands  from  in  and  out  of 
town.  And  another  feature,  on  this  beautiful,  balmy,  June 
day,  was  the  singing  of  the  boys  and  girls  from  the  various 
public  schools ;  the  fresh,  young  voices  of  the  songsters  sang 
with  a  zest  of  health  and  vigor,  and  the  waving  of  their 


£6  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

miniature  flags,  as  the  procession  passed  their  stand  (oppo 
site  the  City  Hall) ,  gave  quite  a  picturesque  effect.  The  large 
triumphal  arch,  formed  with  some  trouble  and  expense, 
looked  quite  imposing  from  "The  Green's"  enclosure  of 
grassy  verdure  ;  the  myriads  of  flags  and  bunting  ably  added 
to  the  brightness  of  the  pleasant  surroundings.  The  police 
arrangements  were  excellent,  but  the  good-natured  multitude 
never  required  police  -  surveillance,  for  the  masses  swayed 
good-humoredly  on  the  crowded  streets.  Many  women  and 
children,  and  men  also,  were  foot-sore  and  tired  on  that 
beautiful  day,  but  all  classes  seemed  happy  and  contented, 
and  all  classes  seemed  to  be  represented  by  old  and  young  : 
the  rich  manufacturers  and  their  families,  the  robust,  well- 
dressed  mechanics  and  mill  workers  and  their  wives  and 
children,  the  burly  farmers  and  their  spouses  and  pretty 
daughters. 

The  wish  of  the  writer  is  this  :  that  good  old  Taunton  may 
progress  in  her  future  prosperity  as  successfully  as  the  city 
has  done  in  the  past  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  formation 
of  her  being. 

As  a  sequel  to  the  recent  anniversary  celebration  in  this 
city,  we  may  add  a  very  pleasing  feature  in  connection  with 
the  festival:  that  of  Taunton,  England,  sending  a  very 
elaborate,  engrossed,  complimentary  address  to  the  citizens 
of  American  Taunton.  The  City  Council  have  instructed  the 
anniversary  committee  to  prepare  and  send  an  appropriate 
reply,  of  suitable  character,  and  emblematical  of  the  time  of 
•early  formation  of  the  town.  The  document  will  comprise 
a  printed  parchment,  with  hand-painted  border  of  mayflowers 
and  leaves,  having  at  the  top  a  water-color  sketch  of  the 
landing  of  the  ship  "  Mayflower,"  and  at  the  bottom  a  view 
on  Taunton  River,  while  in  the  centre  is  a  very  pretty  sketch 
of  Taunton  Green,  looking  north  ;  on  either  side  is  a  mono 
gram  of  the  respective  dates  of  1639  and  1889. 

The  writer  of  these  pages,  on  taking  leave  of  Taunton  and 
its  very  hospitable  people,  must  make  a  grateful  confession ; 
for  in  all  the  towns,  villages,  and  cities  he  has  visited,  and 
the  thousands  of  miles  he  has  traversed,  in  no  section  of  the 
United  States  has  more  considerate  kindness  been  given  any 
one  than  has  been  showered  on  this  traveller.  At  all  times, 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  87 

in  all  seasons,  whether  expected  or  not,  a  kindly  welcome 
ever  awaited  the  visitor,  and  many  days  have  been  spent  in 
the  generous  homes  of  these  Taunton  folks  with  well-remem 
bered  pleasure  and  gratitude. 

Providence,  R.  I. 

Providence,  the  capital  of  Rhode  Island  State,  and  the 
second  city  of  the  six  New  England  States  in  population, 
wealth,  and  commerce,  is  situated  at  the  head  of  Narragan- 
set  Bay,  and  is  built  on  elevated  ground  on  both  sides  of 
Providence  River,  over  which  there  are  several  bridges,  unit 
ing  the  two  divisions  of  the  city.  The  city  is  irregularly 
built,  but  has  many  good  houses,  especially  in  the  upper  parts, 
which,  being  deemed  more  healthy,  are  chiefly  inhabited  by 
the  "upper  ten  "  of  the  Rhode  Island  moneyocracy.  Provi 
dence  is  a  place  of  great  trading  and  manufacturing  activity, 
having  flour,  sawing,  marble-polishing,  cotton  and  woollen 
mills,  screw  factories,  iron  foundries,  shops  for  making 
india-rubber  boots  and  shoes,  extensive  jewelry  and  silver 
manufactories,  and  other  metallic  works,  etc.,  carried  on  and 
aided  by  powerful  steam-power ;  besides  which,  there  is  a 
large  coasting  and  oyster-fishing  trade,  and  great  pleasure 
traffic  in  summer. 

The  early  history  of  Providence  is  full  of  interest.  It  was 
originally  settled  in  1636  by  a  body  of  emigrants  under 
Roger  Williams,  who  had  the  honor  of  establishing  the  first 
political  community  founded  on  the  principle  of  perfect 
religious  toleration.  It  suffered  much  during  the  Indian 
War  of  1765,  when  many  of  the  inhabitants  removed  to 
Rhode  Island  for  shelter ;  but  in  the  War  of  Independence 
the  favor  was  reciprocated,  as  great  numbers  of  the  rural 
population  sought  refuge  in  Providence.  In  1801  the  town 
was  almost  laid  in  ashes  by  a  conflagration ;  and  in  1815  a 
savage  gale  occurred,  raising  the  tide  many  feet  above  its 
usual  height,  and  causing  a  destruction  of  property  to  the 
amount  of  nearly  two  millions  of  dollars.  The  census  of 
1890  enumerates  Providence  at  131,558  inhabitants,  an  in 
crease  in  five  3Tears  of  13,500  persons. 


00  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

Hotels  and  Theatres,  Providence. 

There  are  several  good  hotels  in  this  city,  the  foremost  in 
size  being  the  Narraganset  House,  erected  but  a  few  years 
ago  ;  this  building,  for  completeness,  space,  and  loftiness,  can. 
compete  with  most  hotels  in  larger  towns.  The  rotunda  of 
the  hotel  is  very  comfortably  arranged  with  easy-chairs  and 
lounges,  for  the  tired  traveller  to  rest  and  smoke  a  fragrant 
cigar  in ;  and  hanging  on  its  wall  is  a  magnificent  painting 
of  the  death  of  Lord  Nelson  on  board  the  ship  "Victory.** 
The  Narraganset  is  a  red  brick  structure,  and  of  great 
height,  also  of  commanding  frontage  ;  it  stands  in  bold  relief 
as  an  imposing  dwelling-place  for  the  comforts  of  man  or 
woman  either.  We  can  speak  well  of  its  interior  accommo 
dations,  its  elegance  of  apartments,  and  valuable  picture  gal 
lery,  and  the  urbanity  of  its  genial  manager  and  officials 
generally.  There  is  an  excellent  luncheon  bar,  in  connec 
tion  with  the  hotel  proper,  and  where  some  slices  of  roast 
beef,  with  fixings,  are  Very  enjoyable  to  hurried  business  men. 
The  City  Hotel,  the  Dorrance,  and  many  others  of  smaller 
calibre,  have  all  in  their  way  merits  as  cosy  stopping-over 
places  for  residents  and  visitors.  The  Aldrich  House  (lately 
burnt)  was  an  exceptionally  homelike,  comfortable  hostel. 

The  theatres  are  the  Providence  Opera  House,  of  fair- 
sized  auditorium  and  spacious  stage,  and  where  we  have 
seen  Edwin  Booth  and  several  English  stars  act  during 
the  season.  Various  travelling  troupes  in  the  play  months 
visit  Providence,  and  some  of  their  starring  abilities  are 
more  on  paper,  in  picture  form,  than  in  artistic  reality. 
Keith's  Gaiety  Theatre  is  a  compact,  prettily  decorated  place 
of  amusement,  and  during  the  theatrical  season  has  its- 
share  of  patronage.  The  Infantry  and  music  halls,  for  lec 
tures,  concerts,  and  balls,  and  some  minor  variety  museumsr, 
complete  the  leading  attractions  of  this  city. 

Brown  University  College,  Providence. 

The  above-named  college,  situated  on  Prospect  Terrace,  is- 
known  far  and  wide  as  a  great  seat  of  learning,  and  many 
talented  students  emerge  from  these  walls  to  become  master 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  89 

minds  in  Law,  Physics,  or  Divinity,  on  this  continent  The 
College  Carnival  is  a  peculiar  institution,  held  annually,  at 
the  end  of  term  time,  when«  every  conceivable  grotesque 
dress  of  masquerade  character  is  brought  into  requisition ; 
every  species  of  the  ''antique  and  horrible"  are  burlesqued 
by  these  merry  student  maskers.  It  was  a  curious,  weird 
sight  to  see  the  long  line  of  procession  troop  up  Westminster 
Street  to  its  destination,  to  "•  burn  or  bury  their  books,"  as  it 
is  termed.  Clowns,  demons,  knights,  officers  of  army  and 
navy,  skeletons,  flower  girls,  countesses,  sheperdesses,  and 
many  other  individualities  are  copied  by  these  wild  young 
men,  in  their  vagaries  before  vacation.  Several  bands  of 
music  enliven  this  ghastly  carnival  of  torchlight  array,  for  to- 
bury  the  books,  a  coffin  is  carried  on  men's  shoulders,  with 
the  supposed  offending  books  in  it.  Many  of  the  revelling 
maskers  are  mounted  on  horseback. 

Also  during  the  season,  a  grand  lawn  party,  on  the  Brown 
University  grounds,  is  held.  We,  having  an  invitation, 
were  much  pleased  with  the  animated  scene  of  promenaders  ; 
the  elegant  toilets  of  the  well-dressed  ladies  looked  very  cool 
and  becoming  that  warm  summer  evening,  and  the  young 
students,  in  their  dress  suits,  and  gentlemanly  collegian 
manner,  behaved  towards  their  guests  in  such  a  very  polite 
manner,  that  one  would  not  have  known  them  as  the  same 
young  men  of  the  torchlight  carnival  parade.  The  strains  of 
the  excellent  music,  conducted  by  Reeves,  of  the  American 
Band,  lent  additional  charm  to  this  picturesque  gathering  on 
the  lawn. 

Churches  in  Providence. 

Providence  has  many  church  denominations,  the  principal 
of  which  is'1  All  Saints  Memorial,"  of  High  Church  ritual 
service.  The  singing  by  the  choristers  is  of  very  excellent 
character.  The  sacred  structure  is  of  lofty  architectural 
proportions,  and  reminds  one  of  the  abbeys  in  Europe* 
Adjacent  to  this  Episcopal  church,  in  the  same  thoroughfare 
(High  Street),  is  the  magnificent  pile  of  buildings  which  has 
taken  some  years  to  construct,  —  the  large  Catholic  cathe 
dral,  now  completed.  The  exterior  architecture  is  of  the 


90  *  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

usual  fine  character  that  pervades  most  cathedrals,  whether 
Protestant  or  Catholic,  and  the  interior  is  quite  in  keeping 
in  its  decorative  beauty  with  the  outside.  Valuable  paintings 
adorn  the  cathedral  walls,  and  the  st;iined-glass  windows  of 
sacred  subjects  are  superb  in  their  manipulation.  It  is  said 
millions  of  dollars  have  been  expended  on  the  erection  and 
decoration  of  this  edifice.  Grace  Church  is  a  fine  old  struc 
ture  of  much  sanctity  in  appearance,  while  the  Union  Con 
gregational  Church,  on  Broad  Street,  with  its  fine  quartet  of 
singers,  has  had  many  eminent  divines  in  past  years,  but  to 
individualize  the  several  talented  clergymen  of  this  city  is 
not  the  intention  of  the  writer.  We  might  mention  ISaint 
Stephen's  Episcopal  High  Church,  in  George  Street.  During 
the  Lenten  season  of  1889  monthly  oratorios  were  per 
formed  by  a  choir  of  voices  of  remarkable  talent,  the  leading 
singer  being  a  boy,  with  a  pure,  sweet  voice,  of  great  power. 
Providence  is  oftentimes  blessed  with  a  flying  visit  from 
popular  evangelists.  Rev.  Fay  Mills  stayed  here  some 
weeks,  about  a  year  ago,  and  converted  many  souls  by  his 
pathos  of  story-telling  of  benighted  people  brought  to  God. 
In  February,  1890,  Rev.  Sam  Small  preached  twice  in  the 
Music  Hall.  The  magnetism  of  voice  and  manner  was  very 
telling  when  the  lecturer  spoke  of  his  early  life  and  vicissi 
tudes  of  a  drunkard's  downward  career.  The  vivid  pictures 
of  heart-broken  wives  and  parents  were  told  with  much 
emotion  to  a  large  audience  of  attentive  men,  as  a  warning 
example  to  shun  alcoholic  liquors,  and  turn  to  the  great  and 
good  Mttster.  Rev.  Mr.  Harrison  (the  boy  preacher)  has 
done  much  good  here  by  his  exhortations. 

The  Grorham  Manufacturing  Company,  Providence. 

No  doubt  the  visitor  to  Providence  has  oftentimes,  on 
leaving  the  depot,  seen  the  name  on  a  large  block  of  build 
ings,  situated  on  Steeple  Street  and  Market  Square,  u  Gor- 
ham  Silver  Plate  Company." 

To  enter  the  inside  of  this  famed  factory,  or  emporium  of 
fine  art,  silver  and  gold  work,  is  a  rich  treat  to  the  unini 
tiated.  The  firm's  sterling-silver  goods  are  known  all  over  the 
American  continent ;  in  fact,  all  over  the  known  world.  For 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  91 

more  than  half  a  century,  the  reputation  of  these  manufac 
turers  in  fine  art-work  of  precious  metals  has  always  kept 
well  to  the  fore,  in  their  laudable  endeavors  to  make  first- 
olass  articles  of  the  best  and  choicest  designs,  and  no  ex 
pense  or  trouble  are  spared  in  the  excellence  of  all  details  of 
the  utmost  minutiae.  From  the  chief  designers,  down  to  the 
youngest  apprentice  boy,  a  strict  attention  to  discipline  is 
ever  manifested  by  the  extensive  experience  of  the  general 
managers  and  assistants,  who  for  many  years  have  so  ably 
carried  the  business  on  to  success.  The  writer  of  these 
pages,  being  well  acquainted  with  the  inside  workings  of  this 
celebrated  art  workshop,  can  safely  guarantee  it  being  the 
leading  manufacturing  silversmiths  in  America.  When  trade 
is  good,  the  firm  employs  about  one  thousand  hands  ;  and 
most  of  these  are  skilled  workers  of  the  precious  metals, 
and  invariably  command  good  wages,  which  the  company  has 
alwaj-s  had  the  reputation  of  paying  to  its  men,  who  are 
worthy  of  it. 

A  magnificent  store  and  show-rooms,  in  New  York,  con 
tain  many  fine  specimens  of  repousse  chasing,  ornamental 
engraving,  superb  die-cutting,  damascene,  and  other  styles 
of  skilled  artistic  work,  from  the  candelabra  of  many 
branches  to  the  choice  tea  and  coffee,  also  dinner,  services,  of 
every  conceivable  pattern  and  variety  of  design,  chased,  en 
graved,  plain,  hammered  and  etched.  From  the  crude  and 
rougli  ingots  of  silver  from  the  mines,  thence  melted  into 
form  of  skellets,  to  be  rolled  into  sheets  of  certain  thick 
ness,  —  of  such  beginnings  are  these  elegant  goods  manu 
factured  in  the  numerous  departments  of  the  Gorham  Com 
pany. 

Mention  may  be  made  of  the  magnificent  display  of  choice 
articles  exhibited  at  the  Centennial  Kxposition/Fairmount 
Park,  Philadelphia,  in  1876,  for  which  gold  medals  were 
awarded  the  firm ;  and  foremost  among  the  splendid  speci 
mens  of  the  artists'  cunning  was  the"  renowned  "  Centurv 
Vase, ".designed  and  modelled  with  consummate  skill,  chased 
and  executed  with  great  finish  and  taste.  This  masterpiece 
of  work  in  sterling  silver  represented  arts,  commerce,  civili 
zation,  and  progress.  Each  of  these  were  shown  in  panels 
of  figure  work,  highly  wrought  in  the  modelling  and  chasing. 


92  K AMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

The  plaques  of  tropical  fruits  and  flowers  were  very  fine  in 
the  manipulation  ;  in  fact,  the  whole  conception  was  of  rare 
artistic  merit,  a  credit  to  the  firm  who  had  courage  enough 
to  invest  soime  thousands  of  dollars  on  one  article,  and  a 
lasting  credit  to  the  artists  who  created  such  an  elaborate 
design,  so  emblematical  in  its  treatment  of  the  rise  and  prog 
ress  of  the  American  Continent.  This  Century  Vase  was- 
exhibited  at  the  Paris  Exposition  in  the  season  of  1889,  and,, 
with  other  choice  works  of  art  of  the  firm's  manufacture, 
commanded  much  attention  and  admiration  from  the  myriads 
of  sight-seers  in  the  French  capital.  A  gold  medal  was 
awarded  the  Gorham  Company  by  the  committee  of  judges 
of  the  Paris  exhibition. 

Apropos  of  the  increasing  business  of  the  Messrs.  Gor 
ham,  the  firm  began  operations,  in  August,  1888,  to  erect  a 
colossal  factory  at  Klmwood,  just  outside  Providence,  on  the 
road  to  Roger  Williams  Park.  Report  says  that  this  range 
of  buildings,  with  elegant  show-rooms  and  offices  attached, 
will  take  two  years  to  construct,  and  fix  the  factories 
with  machinery  and  other  plant ;  and  that  the  expense 
involved  will  count  up  into  many  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
dollars.  The  old  factory  on  Steeple  Street  had  done  its 
work  bravely  and  well ;  it  was  formerly  a  hotel,  with  low- 
studded  rooms  on  some  of  the  floors.  The  more  modern 
building  improvements  at  Elmwood,  of  greatly  increased 
light  and  loftiness,  will  add  very  much  to  the  comfort  and 
health  of  the  army  of  men  employed.  The  author  of  these 
rambles  and  reminiscences  wishes  the  Gorham  Company  every 
success  in  their  n<  w  building  enterprise,  as  their  prosperity 
is  the  well-being  and  happiness  of  many  firesides  of  ern- 
ployees,  their  wives  and  children.  Since  writing  the  above,, 
the"  new  factory  in  Elmwood  was  completed,  July,  1890,  and 
the  works  assume  now  one  vast  beehive  of  art  industry,  and 
no  doubt  will  be  visited  with  great  interest. 

Providence,  R.  I.,  Fire,  at  corner  of  Washington  Street. 

On  Wednesday,  Feb.  15,  1888,  at  about  midnight,  the  fire- 
alarm  bells  rang  out  their  dread  summons  of  peril.  The  writer 
of  these  pages,  living  in  the  city  of  Providence,  was  awak- 


KAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  93 

<ened  from  his  sleep  by  the  fire-bells  ringing  ominously,  and 
the  lurid  glare  of  a  great  conflagration  close  by.  Hurriedly 
dressing  and  hastily  arriving  at  the  scene,  we  found  Chace's, 
and  Billing's  blocks,  also  the  Aldrich  House,  one  mass  of 
flame.  For  hours  the.  doomed  district  burned  with  unre 
mitting  fury,  the  high  wind  and  freezing  atmosphere  almost 
paralyzing  the  efforts  of  the  brave  firemen  in  their  arduous 
duty  of  that  terrible  night.  Assistance  came  from  Paw- 
tucket,  Olueyville,  and  adjacent  towns,  rendering  much  aid. 
The  well-appointed  fire  department  of  Providence  did  all 
that  heroic  men  could  do  in  trying  to  stop  the  spreading  of 
the  conflagration,  for  it  looked,  at  one  time,  as  if  part  of 
Westminster  Street  would  fall  a  prey  to  the  devouring  ele 
ment  ;  but  Chief  Engineer  Steere,  with  his  usual  promptness 
and  energy,  was  around  everywhere,  directing  his  able  assist 
ants,  so  that  danger  was  over  by  Thursday  morn  ;  and  as 
the  tired-out  firemen  wended  their  way  homeward,  a  sorry 
spectacle  they  looked,  in  their  rubber  coats,  being  one  mass 
of  coated  ice,  the  water  having  frozen  on  these  dauntless 
men  as  the}7  worked  the  hose  on  the  burning  pile.  The  fan 
tastic  appearance  of  the  frozen  spray  adhering  to  the  ruins  of 
that  once  famed  hostel,  the  Aldrich  House,  brought  many 
visitors  from  far  and  near.  Loss  estimated  at  nearly  half  a 
million,  and  might  have  reached  much  more,  except  b}r  the 
gallant  labors  of  the  firemen  in  limiting  the  disaster. 

The  burnt  district  has  been  rebuilt  in  1890  in  a  very  sub 
stantial  manner. 

Firemen's  Relief  Association,  Providence. 

The  second  annual  concert  and  ball,  held  in  Infantry  Hall, 
on  Thursday  evening,  Jan.  "23,  1890,  was  apparently  a 
financial  success,  as  well  as  socially,  by  the  great  dem 
onstration  at  this  brilliant  gathering  of  some  two  thou 
sand  five  hundred  persons  in  the  hall  and  galleries,  all  of 
whom  were  willing  to  recognize  the  brave  firemen's  protec 
tion  to  their  city  in  the  hour  of  need,  and  by  the  visitors' 
presence  to  aid  their  organization  of  the  Firemen's  Relief 
Association.  The  hall  was  profusely  decorated  with  flags, 
bunting,  and  mottoes,  and  the  chief  event  of  the  evening's 


94  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

festivities  consisted  of  a  concert  by  the  famed  Reeves's  Amer 
ican  Band,  a  prominent  feature  of  the  programme  being  a 
realistic  scene  of  a  winter's  night  alarm,  with  scenic  etfect 
and  apparatus,  showing  the  process  as  it  actually  exists  in 
the  fire  stations,  from  the  men  sliding  down  the  pole  from 
their  bedrooms  to  the  start  with  engines  and  excited,  well- 
trained,  valuable  horses.  The  drop-scenes  on  the  stage, 
painted  for  this  occasion,  represented  the  Aid  rich  House 
on  fire,  near  midnight,  Feb.  15,  1888,  and  the  last  scene 
of  the  doomed  building,  with  its  festoons  of  icicles,  created 
much  applause  from  the  immense  audience,  in  conjunction 
with  Reeves's  Band  playing  the  composition  of  "  The  Night 
Alarm."  The  centre  row  of  the  east  balcony,  which  had 
been  reserved  for  invited  guests,  was  occupied  by  Gov. 
W.  H.  Ladd  and  his  military  staff ;  Mayor  Henry  R.  Bar 
ker  and  aldermen  and  councilmen  also  being  present. 

The  costumes  of  many  ladies  in  the  grand  march  were  of 
fine  character,  intermixed  with  others  of  more  sedate  type, 
while  the  full  evening  dress  of  the  gentlemen  dancer* 
blended  well  with  the  charming  toilets  of  the  lady  waltzers. 

The  writer  (accompanied  with  friends)  was  much  pleased 
with  his  visit,  and  danced  several  times  with  fairy-like  forms- 
till  the  small  hours  of  morning.  The  supper  in  the  drill 
hall  was  a  centre  of  attraction  from  ten  to  one  o'clock. 

Citizens  of  Providence  wish  Chief  Steere  and  his  noble 
firemen  every  success  in  the  future. 

Alfredians  at  Rocky  Point,  Aug.  7,  1889. 

The  sixteenth  annual  excursion  of  the  Order  of  "Alfred 
ians"  in  Rhode  Island  took  place  Aug.  7,  1889,  at  Rocky 
Point,  where  it  had  been  held  for  some  years  previous.  The 
National  Band,  forty  pieces,  headed  a  very  unique  parade 
through  the  principal  streets  of  Providence.  The  procession 
consisted  of  Alfredians  in  uniform  of  the  Order,  and  about  one 
hundred  boys  and  girls  in  most  bewitching  costumes.  Some 
of  the  little  tots  of  girls  seemed  too  young  to  parade  far, 
but  they  bore  the  fatigue  bravely,  and  were  watched  over  by 
kind,  burly  policemen  ;  the  day,  at  starting,  was  very  bright 
and  beautiful,  and  the  young  folks' youthful  flow  of  spirits 


EAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  95 

was  up  to  zenith  point,  in  exuberance  of  the  anticipation  of 
the  day's  frolic.  The  steamer  "  City  of  Newport  "  carried  a 
very  joyous  crowd,  as  the  procession  trooped  on  board  ; 
the  band  giving  a  popular  concert  during  the  sail  down  the 
river,  and  the  numerous  craft  saluting  the  merry  party  made 
things  lively  on  the  trip.  After  a  good  shore  dinner,  the 
old  English  games  began,  in  the  enclosure  devoted  to  races 
and  dances,  and  it  was  computed  about  five  thousand  per 
sons  passed  through  the  gates.  In  the  afternoon  sports, 
there  were  lygh  jumps,  low  jumps,  running  races,  jumping 
in  sacks,  etc.  ;  but  the  chief  attraction  of  all  was  the  little 
damsels,  dressed  as  milkmaids,  with  their  miniature  three- 
legged  stools  and  milk-pails,  attended  by  their  zouave  boy  es 
corts.  The  costumes  of  these  young  people  were  very  bright 
and  pretty,  the  girls  being  dressed  alike,  in  white  dresses. 
with  jaunty  little  blue-and-red  aprons,  and  colored  turban 
hats  ;  the  dairymaids'  song  and  dance,  the  butterfly  dance, 
and  the  ever-popular  maypole  dance,  gave  a  very  good  pro 
gramme  of  nimble  feet,  to  the  inspiring  strains  of  the  music, 
not  forgetting  a  sailor's  hornpipe  of  two  couples,  danced 
with  much  nautical  action  Prof,  and  Mrs.  Greene  are  to 
be  complimented  on  the  drilling  of  their  young  pupils  ;  and 
also  to  the  committees  for  a  pleasant  outing  to  about  ten 
thousand  people. 

Medical  Aid  Society,  of  Providence,  1889. 

For  some  twelve  months  past;,  a  movement  has  been  on 
foot  to  organize  a  self  helping  Medical  Aid  Society  among 
the  wage-workers  of  factories,  mills,  and  other  places  of 
business  in  Rhode  Island.  Its  object,  as  its  humane  origi 
nator,  Mr.  Andrew  McCue,  explained,  at  a  large  meeting, 
held  at  Keith's  Opera  House  a  short  while  since,  is  to  secure 
competent  medical  aid,  by  co-operation,  to  working-men, 
their  wives  and  children.  No  family  desires  to  evade  the 
payment  of  an  honorable  account  within  their  means,  but 
the  burden  of  doctors'  bills,  after  a  long  sickness,  is  fre 
quently  very  heavy.  Medical  men  should  not  be  expected 
to  take  care  of  patients  who  are  unable  to  pay  for  attend 
ance.  The  scheme  of  the  proposed  Medical  Aid  Society 


96  BAMBLES    IX    AMERICA. 

includes  the  issue  of  free  tickets  to  the  Rhode  Island  and 
Homoeopathic  hospitals.  Rev.  Mr.  Slicer  —  who  has  given 
much  valuable  time  in  furtherance  of  this  proposed  society, 
by  his  kindly  advice  and  presence  at  the  various  meetings  — 
stated  the  plans  of  the  organization  at  some  length,  and 
explained  that  the  Aid  Society  was  to  be  of  strictly  business 
principles,  managed  through  factory  committees  elected  by 
the  members,  each  man  paying  twenty-five  cents  per  month  ; 
and  the  sick  will  be  cared  for  in  the  hospital  and  by  private 
physicians,  most  of  whom  in  Providence  have  willingly  vol 
unteered  to  assist  in  this  good  work.  Other  speakers  fol 
lowed  in  explaining  the  object  of  this  humane  idea,  particu 
larly  the  chairman  of  the  evening,  his  Honor  Mayor  Barker, 
Rev.  Mr.  Woodbury,  etc. 

This  scheme  of  aiding  the  working-men  and  their  fami 
lies  —  similar  to  the  facilities  given  to  the  wage- workers  in 
Birmingham,  England —will,  no  doubt,  in  time,  when  thor 
oughly  organized,  work  well ;  and  as  self-help  is  mostly  the 
best  of  help,  a  good  chance  is  here  presented  for  artisans  to 
assist  themselves  to  medical  care  for  a  very  small  payment, 
which  they  would  never  miss  ;  and  it  devolves  on  all  right- 
minded  men,  who  have  any  pride  in  themselves  and  affec 
tion  for  their  wives  and  families,  to  put  their  shoulders  to 
the  wheel,  and  help  the  good  work  along  ;  for  when  this 
humane  scheme  has  once  been  launched,  there  is  no  telling 
of  the  magnitude  and  the  good  results  that  will  soon  follow 
such  a  movement  in  the  aid  of  suffering  humanity. 

Narraganset   State   Fair. 

Narraganset  Trotting  Park  is  situated  a  car  ride  of  some 
six  miles  from  the  city  proper  of  Providence,  and  the 
annual  fair  held  here  is  usually  a  time  of  great  attraction  to 
Rhode  Islanders  and  many  others.  The  exhibition  of  stock  in 
the  season  of  1884  was  very  fine  ;  the  cattle  were  large  in  num 
ber,  and  in  good  condition, —  some  splendid  specimens  of 
milch  cows,  enormous  draught  oxen,  and  bulls  with  ancestral 
pedigree.  The  track  for  trotting  horses  was  a  well-graded 
one,  and  from  the  commodious  grand  stand  a  long-range 
view  could  be  had  of  the  trotters.  The  horses  appeared  of 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  97 

the  average  kind  which  are  seen  in  most  cattle-fairs.  A 
number  of  the  choice  cattle  got  prizes,  and  looked  weary 
enough  on  the  last  day  of  the  exhibition.  A  full  band  of 
music  enlivened  the  proceedings  of  the  day,  and  but  few  in 
toxicated  people  were  seen  anywhere  about,  as  is  the  usual 
case  at  these  gatherings.  The  season  of  September,  1888,  was 
the  advent  of  a  marriage  ceremony  (from  this  park)  in  the 
car  of  a  balloon,  which  ascended  as' soon  as  the  nuptials  were 
completed.  Some  forty  thousand  sight-seers  gazed  at  the 
young  couple  as  they  ascended  to  the  sky  in  Prof.  Allen's 
big  balloon.  Marriage  of  itself  has  enough  risks,  one 
would  imagine,  without  tempting  more  by  a  public  exhibi 
tion  and  hazardous  ride  in  an  aerial  machine.  Publicity  of 
the  sacred  tie  of  matrimony  should,  we  think,  be  confined  to 
the  home  or  the  church,  and  not  to  the  gaze  of  an  excited 
crowd  of  morbid  curiosity  mongers.  The  young  married 
couple  descended  into  a  swamp  near  North  Easton,  Mass., 
and  were  dragged  about  two  miles  before  a  safe  landing 
was  effected. 

Buttoiiwoods  Beach,  and  its  Neighborhood. 

A  pleasant  railway  ride  from  Providence  of  some  three 
quarters  of  an  hour"  takes  the  visitor  to  P>uttouwoods.  It 
is  charmingly  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Narraganset,  a 
sort  of  tributary  or  inlet  thereof,  and  its  waters  are  safe 
sailing  for  amateur  yachtsmen  and  others  venturesome  in 
small  craft.  Some  kind  friends  of  the  writer  have  often 
times  invited  him  to  the  hospitalities  of  their  pretty  gabled 
cottage,  and  to  varied  sails  around  and  about  the  river 
and  bay  in  their  sail-boat,  and  many  hours  of  pleasure  we 
have  had,  cruising  on  the  glassy  waters  of  the  inlet.  Ex 
cellent  bathing  can  be  had  from  the  beach,  its  smooth,  sandy 
shores  sloping  down  the  shallow  depths  making  a  healthy 
retreat  for  ladies  and  children,  unattended  with  danger. 

To  the  jaded  business  man  of  Providence  or  elsewhere, 
Buttoiiwoods  offers  many  attractions.  The  convenient  access 
by  rail,  night  and  morning,  to  and  from  its  pleasant  sur 
roundings,  and  the  calm  and  quiet  of  the  locality,  add  to 
its  charm,  and  cause  a  longing  for  the  summer  season  to 


98  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

come  around.  The  resort  has  a  commodious  hotel,  and 
quite  a  number  of  handsome  cottages.  A  good  concreted 
walk  forms  an  esplanade  to  the  beach's  front,  and  is  a  finer 
breezy  promenade  or  drive  around  the  avenues. 

River  Dell,  on  the  Providence  River,  is  a  sheltered  inlet 
opposite  to  Green's  Island,  and  almost  facing  the  shores  of 
Harrington  and  Nayet.  It  is  a  pretty  little  hamlet,  composed 
chiefly  of  farms  and  apple  orchards,  and  overlooking  the 
channel  waters  is  a  cosy  country  boarding-house,  called  "  Cliff 
Cottage, "presided  over  by  a  worthy  Scotch  lady,  and  where, 
in  the  season,  clams  and  other  kinds  of  fish  are  always  on 
hand,  cooked  to  perfection.  Bathing,  boating,  and  fishing  are 
much  in  vogue  here  during  the  summer  months. 

Roger  Williams  Park,  Providence. 

Roger  Williams  Park  is  a  pleasant  cultivated  enclosure  of 
man}'  acres  of  mostly  cultivated  land,  and  in  the  summer 
season  a  great  resort  for  the  inhabitants  of  surrounding 
districts,  and  visitors  generally,'  it  being  a  favorite  and  pop 
ular  horse-car  ride  over  several  routes  from  the  city ;  and 
there  is  also  a  railway  depot  in  the  park.  The  chief  and 
most  patronized  ride  is  through  picturesque  Elmwood,  with 
its  many  pretty,  gabled  villas,  and  cottages  of  well-to-do 
people ;  and  from  various  avenues  of  South  Providence, 
great  numbers  of  Sunday  and  holiday  folks  stream  into  the 
park.  A  miniature  menagerie,  which  delights  the  children, 
is  on  the  grounds,  and  the  pleasant  lake  furnishes  recreation 
and  amusement  in  the  row-boats  to  young  and  old.  A  new 
lake,  converted  out  of  swamp  ground,  has  just  been  completed 
this  season,  1889,  and  with  the  new  granite  stone  bridge 
and  freshly  graded,  grassy  lawns,  will  add  much  to  the  orna 
mentation  of  the  park,  and  give  increased  facilities  for  boat 
ing  exercise.  We  believe  a  deer  park  of  large  dimensions 
is  to  be  made  from  the  waste  lands  shortly,  and  it  is  much 
needed  by  the  animals  in  their  cooped-up  enclosure.  In  the 
winter  time,  skating  (when  there  is  ice)  and  tobogganing  on. 
the  smooth  rivulet  are  much  enjoyed  by  the  young  ladies  and 
boys  of  the  various  schools,  most  of  the  skaters  being  adepts 
in  the  healthy  exercise,  giving  quite  a  roseate  hue  to  the 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  99s 

peachy  cheeks  of  the  fair  young  damsels.  During  a  part  of 
the  summer  season,  a  band  of  music  plays  afternoons  and 
evenings  on  alternative  days,  and  generally  draws  a  big 
crowd  of  people. 

Pawtuxet  River,  a  short  distance  from  Roger  Williams 
Park,  is  much  in  request  during  fine  weather  for  rowing  and 
bathing.  Its  picturesque  shores  are  thronged  with  visitors 
during  the  warm  weather,  for  the  invigorating  bath  and 
health-giving  exercise  to  the  muscles  of  the  body,  and 
Rhode's  noted  clam-bakes  are  much  in  vogue  here  during 
the  season  by  holiday  makers. 

The    Cotton   Centennial,   Pawtucket,   1890. 

If.  it  had  been  possible  for  the  venerable  Samuel  Slater 
to  have  risen  from  his  grave  and  beheld  the  six  days'  jubilee 
held  in  his  honor  at  Pawtucket,  the  good  man  might  have 
blushed  with  amazement.  For  nearly  a  week  the  celebra 
tion  of  pageants  of  no  ordinary  kind  were  kept  up,  and 
the  various  committees  must  have  had  enough  to  do,  when- 
we  remember  the  labor  of  organizing  entertainments,  such 
as  large  Sunday-school  gatherings,  military  and  civic  pa 
rades,  trades  processions,  secret  society  parades,  veteran 
firemen's  contests  with  manual  engines,  the  hall  exhibit, 
boat-races  on  the  Seekonk  River  ;  and  to  crown  all,  King  Cot 
ton's  carnival  parade  of  grotesques  and  carnival  ball  were  to 
wind  up  the  festivities  of  the  programme.  The  Englishman, 
Samuel  Slater,  the  Father  of  American  manufacturers,  be 
gan  his  work  one  hundred  years  ayo.  Patient  and  unweary 
ing,  his  efforts  grew  as  the  first  cotton-spinning  machine 
came  to  birth  from  the  brain  of  this  extraordinary  man,  and 
gave  Rhode  Island  the  palm  of  his  untiring  zeal  in  the  cul 
mination  of  his  efforts  of  machine  inventing.  Pawtucket's 
old  town  may  well  be  proud  of  Samuel  Slater ;  in  fact,  all 
America  has*  benefited  -by  the  inventor  of  the  shuttle  and 
spindle,  giving  employment  to  so  many  thousands  of  people 
over  this  vast  continent.  And  while  the  multitudes  congre 
gated  at  Pawtncket  to  revere  the  memory  of  the  wo'ker,  and 
participate  in  the  festivities  of  the  week,  few,  perhaps,  would 
remember  the  inventor's  early  struggles  and  disappointments 


100  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

in  later  life,  as  it  so  often  happens  to  those  whom  others 
benefit  by.  The  cotton  industry  of  to-day,  carried  on  by 
energetic,  wealthy  men,  has  made  rapid  strides  since  Slater's 
time.  And  we  say,  in  closing,  that  not  only  the  first  cotton- 
spinning  machine  industry  was  founded  by  him  in  this  coun 
try,  but  he  established  in  Pawtucket  one  of  the  earliest,  if 
not  the  first,  Sunday  school  in  America.  Mr.  Samuel 
Slater's  thoughtful  care  of  those  employed  by  him,  and  the 
welfare  of  the  masses  generally,  has  contributed  very  largely 
to  the  fame  of  the  man  who  has  just  been  appreciated  and 
honored  by  the  recent  centennial  celebration. 

The  Cove,  Providence 

For  some  time  a  movement  has  been  on  foot  to  utilize  the 
Cove,  adjoining  the  Providence  railway  terminus.  For  years 
the  disagreeable  smell  of  this  unpleasant,  muddy  water  has 
been  a  source  of  trouble  and  annoyance  to  the  city  by  its 
impurities  in  hot  weather.  A  remedy  is  now  proposed  by 
the  railroad  company  purchasing  the  site,  and  with  scows 
empty  the  refuse,  and  then  fill  in  the  large  area  for  an 
immense  central  depot.  As  many  men  are  now  at  the  work, 
it  looks  as  if  the  project  would  be  carried  out  some  time  in 
the  future. 

Near  by  the  railway  station  in  Exchange  Place  is  a  fine 
granite  monument,  with  a  well-chiselled  figure  of  a  Union 
soldier  on  its  summit ;  at  the  base  are  numerous  cannon- 
balls,  and  around  the  paved  square  are  four  very  excellent 
clusters  of  gas  lamps,  modelled  and  executed  in  accordance 
with  the  military  trophy  in  the  centre.  Almost  facing  the 
memorial  obelisk  is  the  magnificent  City  Hall,  not  long  since 
finished;  it  is  of  excellent  design,  and  built  of  granite;  the 
interior  is  vtry  spacious,  and  well  adapted  for  the  city 
government's  seat  of  offices,  in  the  administration  of  its  laws. 

At  the  corner  of  College  Hill  and  Benefit  Street  is  a  noble- 
looking,  brown-stone  building,  of  fine  proportions,  —  the 
Court  House,  erected  within  recent  years. 

Within  a  few  years  an  equestrian  statue  of  Gen.  Burnside 
has  been  placed  on  the  east  side  of  Exchange  Place,  near  the 
headquarters  of  the  fire-department  building. 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  101 

Champion  Boat  Race,  on  Seekonk  River,  Providence. 

Many  of  my  Providence  readers  may  remember  the  time 
when  Edward  Hanlan  was  in  his  prime  of  strength  and 
muscle,  and  as  champion  of  the  world  as  a  sculler,  took 
precedence  over  all  comers.  A  race  took  place  on  the  See 
konk  River,  June  17,  1880,  for  the  championship  of  America 
and  five  thousand  dollars.  Many  thousands  of  spectators 
were  on  every  vantage  ground,  to  view  the  aquatic  contest. 
When  the  word  "  go  "  was  given,  with  pistol  shot,  off  the 
competitors  started,  and  with  wonderful  precision  did  Han- 
lan's  stroke  tell  over  the  other  oarsmen,  and  he  soon  drew 
way  ahead,  though  closely  followed  by  Wallace  Ross  (his 
cousin)  and  some  others  of  the  scullers.  As  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach,  Hanlan  appeared  to  have  it  his  own  way,  and 
the  rounding  of  the  stake  buoy  was  effected  without  accident 
or  fouling,  when  the  home  stretch  was  began  in  good  earnest, 
and  it  was  then  that  we  observed  Hanlan  relax  his  energies, 
bend  over  as  if  in  pain,  and  stop  rowing  altogether.  Colic 
in  the  stomach,  it  was  said,  had  seized  the  supposed  winner, 
and  thus  spoilt  one  of  the  finest  races  on  record.  Wallace 
Ross  came  in  first,  and  was  declared  champion  and  winner 
of  the  stake  money,  but  great  dissatisfaction  was  heard 
everywhere. 

Between  that  time  and  the  present  season  of  1889  several 
changes  of  champion  have  taken  place.  Edward  Hanlan  for 
many  years  did  good  work,  but  younger  oarsmen  have 
come  to  the  fore ;  such  names  as  Gaudaur,  Teenier,  Beach, 
O'Connor,  Mattison,  and  Kemp  now  take  the  lead  in  all 
prominent  rowing  matches  of  the  globe.  Kemp  is  the  pres 
ent  champion  sculler. 

The  Doyle  Monument,  at  Providence. 

The  unveiling  of  the  statue  of  the  late  Mayor  Doyle,  on 
June  3,  1889,  was  a  tribute  of  well-remembered  reverence 
and  affection  towards  a  good  man  of  this  Providence  city. 
For  a  number  of  years,  Thomas  Arthur  Doyle  was  rechosen 
as  its  chief  magistrate,  in  consequence  of  his  clear  record 
as  a  capable  business  man  and  official  gentleman.  The 


102  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

statue  of  bronze,  resting  on  a  marble  plinth,  occupying  a  posi 
tion  in  the  higher  part  of  the  city,  opposite  the  cathedral, 
was  unveiled  with  all  due  solemnity  by  a  procession  of  dig 
nitaries,  religious  and  civic  —  also  military  and  masonic 
organizations.  But  the  most  pleasing  of  all  the  ceremonies 
were  those  hundreds  of  school  children  located  on  a  tempo 
rary  platform,  who  lifted  their  young  voices  in  tuneful  accord 
in  sweet  remembrance  of  the  late  Mayor,  who  ever  loved  to 
hear  the  young  singers  in  times  gone  by. 

The  modelling  of  the  Doyle  statue  was  entrusted  to  Mr. 
Henry  Hudson  Kitson,  a  young  artist  of  rising  reputation,  — 
of  English  birth,  —  and  his  home,  when  in  America,  being 
Boston ;  but  in  his  studio  at  Paris  the  artistic  work  was 
begun  in  clay  modelling,  and  in  the  same  city  the  casting  of 
the  figure  in  bronze  was  completed.  As  a  work  of  merit, 
various  opinions  are  entertained  ;  but  as  we  are  not  all  edu 
cated  as  art  judges,  it  would  be  difficult  for  the  majority  to 
tell  a  well-modelled  figure  from  an  indifferent  one. 

Nearly  opposite  the  Doyle  monument  is  a  fine  building, 
just  erected,  that  of  the  "Young  Men's  Christian  Asso 
ciation,"  a  noble  institute  for  the  promotion  of  the  wel 
fare  of  young  men.  The  kind  deeds  done  by  these  institu 
tions  all  over  the  world  is  a  well-known  theme,  and  brought 
forth  good  fruit  by  the  humane  instigator  and  originator  in 
far-away  London  town,  England.  God  grant  these  efforts  to 
do  good  to  young  men  may  flourish  in  our  midst,  and  that 
the  magnificent  and  commodious  new  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association  building  may  become  the  home  of  a  religious  and 
pure  life  to  the  young  men  of  Providence.  It  is  said  to  have 
cost  $170,000. 

State  Prison  of  Rhode  Island. 

About  six  miles  from  Providence  city,  in  the  Cranston 
district,  is  situated,  on  a  high,  breezy  elevation,  the  State 
Prison  of  Rhode  Island.  The  jail  is  chiefly  built  of  brown- 
stone  masonry,  the  windows  heavily  barred  with  iron,  and 
the  whole  is  surrounded  by  spacious  court-yards ;  the  out 
lying  farming  land,  comprising  about  twenty-five  acres,  is 
tilled  principally  by  short-term  prisoners,  some  forty  men, 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  103 

In  gang,  watched  over  by  an  armed  officer.  The  interior  of 
the  prison  is  commenced  by  a  spacious  reception  room,  where 
friends  of  the  offenders  are  allowed  to  see  and  converse 
with,  through  a  division  of  wire-work  grating,  the  unfortu 
nates  in  durance  vile,  on  stated  days.  Jn  company  with  a 
courteous  official,  the  writer  was  shown  every  nook  and  cor 
ner  of  the  stronghold, —  commencing  with  the  view  of  the 
two  dark  cells,  where  the  refractory  are  placed  for  punish 
ment  ;  and  to  judge  from  a  moment's  incarceration  therein, 
when  the  strong  blank  iron  door  is  closed,  it  must  be  a  terrible 
ordeal  for  any  length  of  time,  and  a  fearful  retribution  to 
remain  in  those  dungeon  cells  of  inky  darkness.  Passing  on 
ward  with  my  guide,  the  chair-caning  shops  were  inspected  ; 
also  the  large  boot  and  shoe  factory  and  wire- screen  shops 
were  visited  in  turn.  The  busy  prisoners  have  to  work  in 
silence  (no  talking  allowed) ,  the  only  sound  being  the  hum 
and  whirr  of  machines  for  shoemaking.  Each  room  has 
instructors  to  teach  the  novices  the  various  trades,  and  on  a 
small  raised  platform  sits  an  officer  the  day  long,  who  con 
stantly  watches  the  men  at  work  ;  the  monotony  of  the  life 
to  the*  overseer  official  must  be  very  tiresome  in  ceaselessly 
•overlooking  the  apathetic  unfortunate  culprits,  and  one  would 
think  the  prisoners  have  the  best  time  of  it  while  at  work, 
their  minds  being  occupied  by  labor. 

Several  life -sentence  men  were  amongst  the  number  of 
shorter  term  criminals  ;  one  life  convict  having  been  in  the 
jail  as  far  back  as  1867.  Of  the  present  inmates  of  con 
victed  murderers,  in  the  year  1889,  was  one  '-Spike  Mur 
phy,"  for  the  cowardly  murder  of  an  old  citizen,  Waterman 
Irons,  of  Providence.  Murphy  was  doing  his  allotted  task  of 
shoemaking.  A  tall,  healthy-looking  young  man,  with  an 
intelligent  countenance,  and  far  from  a  desperate  look  about 
him,  though  very  sinewy  in  form. 

In  the  hospital  ward,  of  southern  aspect,  the  bright  sun 
was  streaming  in,  as  if  to  cheer  the  convalescent  patients 
with  its  rays,  and  numerous  plants  and  shrubs  in  the  corri 
dor  lent  their  aid  to  alleviate,  if  possible,  the  gloomy  sur 
roundings.  Pacing  the  floor  was  one  of  the  sick  men,  with 
bandages  swathed  around  his  neck,  whose  throat  some 
months  ago  had  been  severely  cut  by  a  fellow-prisoner,  in 


104  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

a  desperate  quarrel ;  the  assailant  hanging  himself  a  few  days 
afterwards  in  his  cell. 

Three  tiers  of  cells,  oblong  in  dimension,  of  twenty-six 
cells  each  side,  give  accommodation  for  three  hundred  and 
forty  men,  that  being  the  number  during  my  visit  in  Feb 
ruary,  1890. 

In  consequence  of  the  increase  of  crime  in  Rhode  Island, 
a  proposed  new  wing  is  to  be  added  in  one  of  the  court-yards, 
as  the  prison  is  overcrowded  at  present,  which  fact  does  not 
speak  very  well  for  our  boasted  civilization  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  though  the  kind-hearted  resident  chaplain  tries  his 
best  efforts  of  good  counsel  to  the  misguided  criminals. 
As  far  as  possible,  comfort  and  cleanliness  are  everywhere 
visible  ;  fortnightly  every  prisoner  has  a  warm  bath,  in  one  of 
the  twelve  bath-tubs,  taking  the  entire  day  for  the  three 
hundred  men  to  get  through  the  ablution. 

The  system  of  drying  the  prisoners'  underwear,  socks, 
etc.,  by  steam,  when  the  weather  is  too  inclement  outside,  is 
quite  a  novel  affair,  as  well  as  their  patent  washing  and  wring 
ing  machines.  The  food,  which  we  inspected  and  tasted,, 
appeared  good  and  well  cooked.  On  the  parapet  of  the  high 
wall  surrounding  the  jail-yard  are  stationed  two  armed  offi 
cers,  who  constantly  patrol  and  overlook  all  the  prison 
yards,  and  any  prisoner  attempting  to  escape  runs  the 
chance  of  being  shot  Cows,  pigs,  and  horses,  well  housed 
in  their  barns,  are  ready  for  their  needful  services  on  the 
farm  when  required. 

Not  far  distant  from  Cranston  Jail  is  the  State  Farmr 
chiefly  for  inmates  for  small  offences  and  habitual  drunk 
ards  of  both  sexes ;  and  the  Reform  School,  well  known 
for  refractory  boys  and  girl?,  during  their  minority.  We 
were  informed  some  seven  hundred  acres  of  available 
arable  land  for  farming  purposes  is  connected  with  these 
institutions. 

Gen.  Viall  is  the  chief  warden  of  the  State  Prison,  who, 
together  with  a  deputy  warden,  clerk,  and  chaplain,  and 
seventeen  officers,  complete  the  official  staff  of  this  abode  of 
durance  vile. 

Methought,  on  looking  down  from  the  upper  prison  win 
dows  into  the  peaceful  ravine  below,  along  the  Pawtuxet 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  105 

Valley,  and  viewing  the  windings  of  the  Providence  River  on 
that  sunny,  breezy  day,  what  a  strange  anomaly  is  man,  with 
his  fierce,^ ungovernable  passions,  immured  as  some  are  for 
their  natural  life ;  and  the  contrast  of  beautiful,  animated 
Nature  of  the  outside  world  going  on,  within  sight  of  the 
grim  stone  jail,  makes  one  ruminate  on  men  and  women's 
wrong-doing,  enough  to  blasC  their  lives  here  and  hereafter. 

The   Cable-Car  Road,  Providence. 

For  many  months  of  the  year  1889,  gangs  of  workmen 
have  been  bus}',  excavating,  digging,  and  delving,  to  con 
struct  a  cable-car  road  from  .Market  Square  to  the  Red 
Bridge  district :  and  early  this  year,  1*90,  after  many  delays- 
of  complicated  work,  the  company's  cars  carry  passengers 
from  Olneyville  by  the  horse-car  conveyance  to  Market 
Square  ;  the  horses  are  then  unhitched  and  the  car  and  pas 
sengers  attached  to  the  grip  car,  and  at  the  sound  of  the 
gong,  dart  up  College  Hill  at  a  pace  that  would  have  sur 
prised  our  forefathers,  passing  along  College,  Angel,  and 
Prospect  streets  at  a  fairly  rapid  rate  of  locomotion.  The 
system  seems  to  work  well ;  the  powerful  brakes  on  down 
grade,  having  to  be  managed  by  a  man  in  each  car,  stop 
without  much  oscillation.  On  reaching  the  termini,  near 
the  Red  Bridge,  the  commodious  red  brick  building  and 
works  are  inspected  ;  the  immense  fly-wheel,  which  is  the 
main  power  to  propel  th^  cars,  has  ten  cables  on  its  drum, 
and  the  steam  engine  that  works  the  machinery  must  be  very 
powerful.  The  return  journey  is  made  with  a  little  devia 
tion,  through  Waterman  Street  to  Market  Square.  The  cost  of 
the  mile  and  a  half  of  road  is  said  to  be  two  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars.  This  popular,  cheap  ride,  through  some  of 
the  best  localities  to  the  Seekonk  River,  is  much  patronized, 
and  thoroughly  enjoyed  by  the  thousands  of  passengers  dur 
ing  the  fine  weather  as  a  breezy,  pleasant  outing  from  the 
city. 


106 


R AMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 


Railway  String  Teams  of  Horses,  Providence. 

Visitors  and  townspeople  of  Providence,  in  their  various 
journeyings  to  and  from  the  railway  depot,  Exchange  Place, 
may  have  often  observed  that  some  of  the  freight  cars  drawn 
by  horses  are  transferred  from  the  main  lines  to  spur  lines 
of  rails  across  Market  Square  to  Canal  and  Dyer  streets, 
also  to  Fox  Point,  Riverside,  en  route  to  different  fruit,  fish, 
and  meat  warehouses.  A  string  team,  generally  composed 
of  seven  to  eight  horses,  is  attached  to  the  freight  cars,  and 
the  driver's  voice  is  invariably  the  guiding  rein.  A  sagacious 


. 


and  docile  leader  takes  his  quadruped  companions  safely 
along  the  route,  and  it  is  surprising  with  what  sagacity  these 
really  fine  horses  go  about  their  work  in  such  a  business-like 
manner.  For  fifteen  years  has  the  writer  noticed  these  and 
similar  string  teams  in  the  service  of  the  railway  company, 
and  the  Messrs.  Weaver  &  Sons,  contractors  and  owners 
of  these  valuable  animals,  are  to  be  complimented  on  their 
strong-looking  horses,  and  their  general  good  condition.  The 
illustration  is  drawn  with  great  fidelity,  in  the  sketch  of  the 
string  team  and  cars,  which  the  wayfarer  can  s^e  any  day 
on  the  above-mentioned  routes,  the  knowing  old  leader  shak 
ing  his  fine,  saucy  head  with  pride  (as  it  were),  on  being 


KAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  107 

selected  as  the  foremost  horse  and  sort  of  "  boss  "  over  the 
other  seven  animals. 

The  Cemeteries  of  New  England. 

The  burial-grounds  of  New  England  are  rich  in  historic 
interest.  "One  of  the  attractive  places  for  antiquarians  to 
visit,"  says  David  A.  Waldron,  in  the  Narraganset  Historical 
Register,  "  is  the  old  cemetery  in  the  village  of  Little 
Compton,  R.  I.  Among  the  dusts  of  once  noted  personages 
is  here  found  that  of  Ihe  first  white  woman  born  in  New 
P^ngland,  Elizabeth  Pabodie  (daughter  of  John  Alden  and 
Priscilla  Mullins),  who  died  May  31,  1717,  at  the  age  of 
ninety-six.  The  Commons,  as  this  plot  is  called,  is  not 
kept  in  the  best  of  condition,  but  over  the  grave,  in  the  year 
1882,  was  erected  a  granite  monument,  on  one  of  the  plaques 
of  which  is  a  suitable  inscription  concerning  the  one  whose 
remains  it  covers.  The  following  stanza  is  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  obelisk  : — 

"  '  A  bud  from  Plymouth's  Mayflower  springs, 
Transplanted  here  to  live  and  bloom ; 
Her  memory,  ever  sweet  arid  young, 
The  centuries  guard  within  this  tomb.' 

tk  Her  husband,  William  Pabodie,  who  died  Dec.  13,  1707, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-eight  years,  rests  beside  her." 

The  Falstaff  Club. 

This  organization  was  started  by  a  few  friends,  early  in 
the  year  1890,  at  Providence  City,  for  the  purpose  of  uniting 
amusement  with  recreation  and  instruction.  About  fifty 
persons  (limited  number),  mostly  young  men,  formed  them 
selves  into  a  club,  to  meet  fortnightly  on  Saturday  evenings, 
in  a  well-appointed  hall,  where  recitations,  singing,  instru 
mental  music,  conversation  on  varied  topics  of  the  day,  and 
a  supper  of  light  viands  and  refreshments  are  the  order  of 
the  evening.  The  Falstaff  Club  is  ably  presided  over  by  a 
competent  president,  assisted  by  two  vice-presidents,  a  sec 
retary,  and  various  committees,  elected  from  time  to  time,  and 
carry  on  the  business  with  a  code  of  rules  or  by-laws.  This 


108  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

company  of  gentlemen  reminds  one  somewhat  of  descrip 
tions  by  famous  writers  of  Old  London  in  times  past ;  when, 
rare  Ben  Jonson,  Oliver  Goldsmith,  Boswell,  Sir  Joshua 
Lawrence,  Sir  Peter  Lely,  and  many  other  celebrities,  liter 
ary  and  artistic,  used  to  meet  in  some  cosey  hostel,  to  ex 
change  wit  and  repartee,  and  talk  over  the  events  of  their 
day,  politics  alone  being  excluded.  The  more  modern  club 
of '  Falstaffanians  are  mainly  composed  of  the  artists  of 
Messrs.  Gorham's  celebrated  sterling  silver-ware  establish 
ment.  As  an  agreeable  evening  spent  amongst  gentlemen 
of  culture,  art,  refinement,  and  literary  tendencies,  allow  a 
member  (the  writer  of  these  pages)  to  chronicle  the  gather 
ings,  thus  assembled  every  two  'weeks,  as  an  event  eagerly 
looked  forward  to  with  much  interest  and  pleasure.  In  the 
summer  mouths  of  the  club,  picnics  and  pleasant  outings 
take  place  on  the  Providence  River  and  picturesque  Paw- 
tuxet  waters,  and  an  occasional  moonlight  sail  on  the  bay, 
in  which  lady  friends  will  join  with  their  charming  presence 
the  boating, 'dancing,  and  general  good  time  we  have  there. 
May  every  success  attend  this  new  association  of  the  Fal- 
staff  Club. 

Hunt's  Mills,  East  Providence  Centre. 

In  this  locality,  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  ravine,  with  a 
grove  on  either^ side,  runs  the  streamlet  from  Hebronville 
and  neighboring  tributaries,  and  after  passing  the  dam  at 
Hunt's  Mills,  the  gurgling,  leaping  waters  play  in  eddies 
over  and  around  the  innumerable  boulders  that  almost  fill 
the  river's  bed  like  a  breakwater.  To  a  lover  of  Nature, 
nothing  can  be  more  picturesque  and  sublime  in  its  grandeur 
than  looking  from  the  edge  of  the  stream  between  the  over 
hanging  trees,  some  touching  each  other  in  their  umbrageous 
embrace,  with  the  sun's  rays  peeping  in  and  out  of  the  foliage 
far  away  to  the  miniature  cataract,  and  watching  the  leaps 
and  dashes  of  the  glistening  rapids  as  they  hurry  away  to 
the  placid  ten-mile' stream  that  empties  itself  of  its  puny 
wrath  into  the  Seekonk  River,  near  the  Red  Bridge.  At 
Hebronville.  a  spring  (it  is  said)  begins  and  gathers  in 
strength  and  velocity  "from  the  adjacent  tributaries,  aided  by 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  109 

occasional  copious  rains,  and  at  length  swells  into  quite  a 
water-fall  of  sorne  importance  when  it  reaches  Hunt's  Mills 
(apparently  now  an  old,  disused  grain  building).  It  is  no 
surprise  that  artists  and  photographers  often  frequent  this 
secluded  spot  to  transfer  on  canvas,  or  otherwise,  such  imita 
tions  as  it  is  possible  to  gain.  A  pathway  takes  the  tourist 
in  the  grove  to  all  points  of  interest,  and  the  subdued  light, 
with  the  distant  roaring  of  the  avalanche  breaking  on  the 
stillness,  gives  quite  a  charm  to  the  locality.  Near  the 
smoother  portion  of  the  waters  was  a  huge  tree,  hurled  from 
its  roots  directly  across  the  stream,  as  much  as  to  say, 
"Thus  far,  but  "no  farther,  you  may  go."  But  the  eddies 
and  bubbles  laugh  at  the  obstruction,  and  whirl  under  and 
over  the  trunk  and  branches  in  very  sport.  In  the  summer 
season  picnic  parties  assemble,1  here  in  force,  and  try  to 
echo  their  voices  louder  than  the  roar  of  the  cataract,  as  the 
waters  dash,  leap,  and  form  themselves  into  rapids  over  the 
big,  rocky  boulders  standing  high  out  of  the  river's  bed. 
Situated  in  this  neighborhood,  some  excellent  farms  and 
orchards  are  to  be  seen. 

Ice-Cutting. 

This  is  an  interesting  and  very  necessary  occupation  in 
the  United  States  ;  besides  which,  in  Massachusetts,  at  least, 
ice  has  become  an  important  article  of  export,  and  the  trade 
is  now  quite  large  to  the  Southern  States,  West  Indies,  and 
different  part's  of  Europe.  Hiding  in  a  sleigh  about  twelve 
miles  out  of  Boston  to  a  ciystal  lake,  the  process  of  cutting 
the  ice  is  thus  effected  :  the  upper  crust,  or  inferior  ice,  is 
planed  off  by  a  machine  drawn  by  horses,  after  which  the 
fragments  are  cleared  away  by  an  apparatus  like  a  scoop, 
also  drawn  by  horses.  The  surface  thus  pared  is  clear  and 
glass}7,  ready  for  the  markers,  who  draw  a  line  with  a  sharp 
instrument,  to  indicate  tlie  dimensions  of  the  blocks  to  be 
cut,  which  are  then  sawed,  until  the  same  are  almost  severed, 
when  a  broad,  flat-faced  crowbar  is  used  to  divid-e  them. 
The  squares  are  floated  into  a  small  canal  (cut  for  the  pur- 
po-e)  passed  on  to  the  ice-houses,  and  hauled  up  into  the 
buildings  by  steam  power.  The  houses  in  which  the  ice 


110  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

is  deposited  consist  of  a  range  of  lofty  buildings  of  large 
dimensions,  and  necessarily,  also,  of  great  height,  owing  to 
the  man}'  blocks  therein  contained.  The  process  of  stow 
ing  these  blocks  is  very  peculiar ;  they  are  laid  one  layer  over 
another,  and  the  interstices  filled  with  snow,  so  as  to  make 
a  compact  mass,  and  then  covered  with  tan,  in  such  a  way 
that  the  whole  remains  perfectly  cold  and  solid  till  the  following 
summer.  The  immense  trade  done  in  this  way  would  sur 
prise  a  stranger  ;  yet  when  it  is  considered  that  every  house 
keeper  is  compelled,  by  reason  of  the  great  heat  in  summer, 
to  make  use  of  this  valuable  commodity,  it  is  no  wonder  that 
it  becomes  so  profitable  an  article  Of  trade.  Ice-cutting 
seems  like  cold  work  to  the  casual  looker-on,  yet  the  work 
men  are  always  stripped  to  the  shirt,  and  appear  bathed  in 
perspiration.  The  after  effects,  though,  are  sometimes  dis 
astrous  ;  for  one  of  the  workmen  .whom  we  saw  fell  into  a 
stupor,  as  he  returned  home  (the  effect  of  cold  after  heat) , 
rested  on  the  wayside  to  sleep,  and  never  woke  again. 

Sleigh-Riding. 

The  cold  weather  and  sleigh-riding  to  some  are  very  enjoy 
able,  but  not  to  the  writer ;  the  cold  is  so  intense,  that  care 
must  be  taken,  or  else  the  nose  and  ears  will  be  frost-bitten. 
The  cold,  bracing  air  (if  you  can  stand  it)  is  nighty  salubri 
ous,  and  the  health  of  the  inhabitants  is,  generally  speaking, 
far  better  and  stronger  in  winter  than  summer.  The  snow 
storms  at  times  are  very  violent,  and  drifting  in-a  night  some 
eight  or  ten  feet.  Sleigh  riding  and  driving  is  to  most  per 
sons  a  peculiarly  pleasant  and  exciting  amusement.  The 
silent  smoothness  with  which  the  runners  dash  through  the 
snow,  the  internal  ease  and  comfort  of  the  conveyance,  the 
gay  trappings  of  the  one  or  more  horses  that  draw,  and  the 
numerous  sleighs  one  meets,  with  fast-trotting  steeds,  all 
contribute  to  give  an  indescribable  charm  to  this  favorite 
winter  recreation.  Ladies  are  especially  seen  to  great  ad 
vantage,  while  employed  in  this  agreeable  mode  of  travel 
ling,  for  their  well-assorted  wintry  costumes  become  them 
very  prettily  ;  while  their  merry,  ringing  laugh  sounds  full 
of  life  and  vivacity,  and  the  clear  atmosphere  fanning  their 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  Ill 

cheeks  gives  the  countenance  an  air  of  charming  naivete,  and 
paints  their  complexion  with  the  roseate  hue  of  blooming 
health. 

It  is  a  merry  time,  this  season  of  sleigh-riding  in  the 
United  States;  every  person's  animal  spirits  seem  unusually 
light  and  elastic ;  and  sometimes  companies  of  twenty  cou 
ples,  of  both  sexes,  are  collected  to  fill  a  gigantic  sleigh, 
drawn  by  six  horses.  Then  it  is,  when  all  are  snugly  en 
sconced  with  lap  robes  and  wraps,  that,  as  the  poet  says :  — 

"  Obsequious  to  their  call,  the  docile  steeds 
Yield  to  the  sleigh  their  necks,  and  whirl  them  swift, 
The  joy-hells  tinkling  as  they  whirl  along, 
O'er  hill  and  dale,  heaped  into  one  expanse 
Of  marbled  snow,  as  far  as  eye  can  sweep, 
With  a  blue  crust  of  ice  unbounded  glazed." 

In  this  case,  it  is  usual  to  drive  to  a  distant  hotel,  where, 
after  a  merry  dance  or  cheerful  chat  and  singing,  they  par 
take  of  a  well-served  supper,  and  then  return  home  by 
moonlight,  in  their  swift  conveyance. 

Before  closing  this  sketch  of  wintry  pastime,  we  may  add 
that  of  coasting,  by  boys  and  girls.  If  ever  there  was  a  dan 
gerous  practice  on  this  earth,  allowed  by  the  police,  it  is- 
this  dangerous  racing  down  slippery  inclines,  with  primitive 
small  and  large  sleds.  Every  winter  has  its  catalogue  of 
misery,  in  regard  to  bruised  limbs,  and  often  fatal  accidents 
happening  on  streets,  where  passing  teams  come  in  collision 
with  the  adventurous  youngsters,  maiming  them  for  life. 

American  Religion  ;  its  Observances. 

"  The  seas  shall  waste,  the  skies  in  smoke  decay, 
Rocks  fall  to  dust,  and  mountains  melt  away; 
But  fixed  His  word,  His  saving  power  remains; 
Thy  realm  forever  lasts,  thy  own  Messiah  reigns."  —  POPE. 

In  no  country  in  the  world,  perhaps,  is  there  such  a 
splitting  of  sects,  in  the  Christian  Church,  as  in  the  United 
States,  where  Episcopalians,  Independents,  Presbyterians, 
Baptists,  Wesleyans,  Moravians,  Adventists,  Unitarians, 
Universalists,  New  Jerusalemites,  Quakers,  Mormonites, 
Spiritualists,  Salvationists,  and  many  other  sects,  scarcely 
known  bv  name  outside  of  this  continent,  such  as  the  Men 


112  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

nonites,  Shakers,  etc.,  have  a  substantive  existence,  and 
large  bodies  of  church  members  ;  and  sad  is  sometimes  the 
contention  that  arises  from  the  perfect  liberty  of  religion, 
and  its  total  severment  from  the  business  of  the  State.  In 
the  Presbyterian,  Congregational,  Baptist,  Wesleyan,  and 
Unitarian  churches  the  mode  of  worship  is  as  simple  as 
possible  ;  the  prayers  are  delivered  extemporaneously,  and 
differ,  therefore,  on  every  occasion,  a  circumstance  which 
some  consider  to  give  them  an  advantage  over  the  stated,  for 
mal  prayers  of  other  denominations,  which  deal,  they  say,  in 
vain  repetitions,  that  make  little  impression  on  the  heart, 
and  substitute  the  form  and  the  letter  that  killeth  for  the 
spirit  that  giveth  life.  The  interiors  of  American  churches 
—  or  meeting-houses  —  have  a  very  comfortable  look,  with 
their  cushioned  seats  and  carpeted  floors  :  the  former,  with 
the  hassocks,  being  provided  by  the  church  authorities,  in 
order  to  preserve  uniformity,  and  avoid  that  hybrid  appear 
ance  which  is  so  common  in  many  of  the  European  churches, 
where  yellow,  green,  red,  and  blue  cushion  seats  offend  the 
eye. 

The  Boston  and  New  York  churches,  in  some  respects, 
are  beautifully  constructed,  as  regards  their  interior  archi 
tecture,  are  very  lofty,  and  provided  with  excellent  organs 
and  well-trained  choirs,  engaged  and  paid  for  the  purpose. 
In  the  country  churches  the  service  is,  of  course,  much  more 
simple,  and  the  quality  of  the  singing  must  depend  on  the 
resources  of  the  neighborhood ;  but  we  can  safely  say  that 
in  many  countiy  towns,  church  music  is  to  be  heard  quite  as 
^good  as  in  some  of  the  large  cities.  It  were,  perhaps,  invid 
ious  to  single  out  for  eulogy  any  particular  clergyman,  in 
a  country  that  has  so  many  talented,  faithful,  and  devoted 
servants  of  the  Most  High. 

The  clergy,  ns  a  t;lass,  se"em  to  be  faithful  workers,  many 
of  them  having  risen  from  the  ranks,  and  almost  self-edu 
cated  men,  and  imbued  with  deep  fervor,  high  talent,  and  im- 
pressiveness.  Some  of  their  illustrations  are  very  pathetic, 
their  admonitions  so  affectionate,  their  concern  for  immortal 
souls  so  evidently  sincere,  that  it  is  no  wonder  that  the}7  win 
the  hearts,  and  often  are  the  instruments,  under  heaven,  of 
changing  the  lives  of  those  who  come  under  their  influence. 


E AMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 


Meriden,   Conn. 


113 


Probably  no  town  or  city  in   the  Union,  for  its   size,  has 
more   self-made  men  than   Meriden.    From    a   comparative 
swamp  of  thirty  years  ago,  it  has  now  become  a  prosperous, 
orowino-  city  of  more  than  twenty-live  thousand  inhabitants, 
most  of  which  people  are  chiefly  occupied  in  the  manufactur- 
ino-  interest  of  hard  and  soft  metal  ware,  the  greater  number 
of°the  employees  being  artisans    earning  good  wages  ;  also 
many  female  workers  who  are  very  talented  in  their  various 
avocations,  commanding  in   some  instances  excellent  remu 
neration  for  their  industry.     Many  are  the  names  that  have 
arisen  to  the  foremost  rank   of  fortune  in  this  busy    town. 
Meriden  is  the  highway  to  New  York,  being  about  two  hours 
and  a  half  steam-car  ride  to  the  great  metropolis  ;   and  all 
through  trains  from  Boston  and  other  points  stop  here,  mak 
ing  it  quite  a  lively  place.     On  a  recent  visit  to  Meriden,  we 
found  the  busy  city  much  altered  and  improved  ;  a  large  pas- 
seno-er  station^  opposite  the  extensive  works  of  the  Meriden 
Brifannia  Company  (on  the  model  of  the  New  Haven  depot), 
meets  the  eye  of  the  visitor,  which  greatly   facilitates  the  in 
creasing  demands  of  traffic,  and  adds  much  to  the  comfort 
of  travellers  in    the    spacious    waiting-rooms ;   an  improved 
contrast,  compared  to  the  dingy  ticket- office   of  years  ago. 
A  long,  roomy  freight  depot  has  also  been  erected,  to  meet 
the  numerous  wants  in   that  branch  of  business,  and   quite 
a  lofty,  sightly  hotel  has  been  built  within  a  few  years  ;   also 
a  new^  spacious  post-office,  in  the  rear  of  which  is  a  modern, 
commodious    theatre,    all    in    the    same    structure ;    Colony 
Street   can    boast  of    a  substantial   granite  Congregational 
church,  erected  during  the  author's  four  pleasant  years'  so 
journ  in  sociable  Meriden  some  time  since.     In  fact,  impos 
ing  blocks  of  new  buildings   are    springing  up   everywhere, 
with  handsome  stores,  fitted  witli  plate-glass  windows,  giving 
quite  an  air  of  business  prosperity  and  bright,  animated  look 
to  the  old  town.     The  people  of  Meriden  are  very  courteous 
to  a  stranger,  as  a  rule,   and  endeavor  to  make  every   one 
welcome;  the    hospitable    character   of    the   inhabitants  ^ is 
known    far  and  wide,  and  workmen  once  located  in  this  city 
seldom  leave  it,  unless  unforeseen  circumstances  compel  them 


114  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

to  do  so ;  even  then,  the  old  feeling  of  wishing  to  return 
oftentimes  haunts  the  minds  of  the  absent,  for  a  renewal  of 
the  friendly  intercourse  of  years  ago.  On  the  upper  portion 
of  the  town  are  some  fine  views  of  the  u  Blue  Hills"  range, 
from  which,  in  clear  weather,  can  be  seen  Long  Island  Sound 
and  other  places. 

"Mount  Lamentation"  and  the  adjacent  hills,  in  fair 
weather,  have  a  beautiful  tinge  of  color  of  bright  blue,  but  on 
the  approach  of  a  storm,  the  color  changes  to  a  sullen-look 
ing,  ominous  gray,  and  at  other  times  enveloped  in  a  misty 
vapor.  A  visit  to  the  "Blue  Hills"  is  always  a  charming 
walk  or  climb,  and  with  a  party  of  picnickers  some  hours 
can  be  agreeably  spent,  one  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  sea ;  a  sharp  lookout  for  snakes  is  necessary  in  this  re 
gion,  where  the  brush  and  underwood  is  most  dense,  for  in 
certain  seasons  the  place  used  to  abound  with  the  reptiles, 
though  most  are  of  the  black  snake  species,  without  the 
dangerous  poison  venom  or  warning  rattle. 

The  Connecticut  State  Reform  School,  situated  inMeriden, 
is  one  of  the  best  conducted  in  the  country.  The  buildings  are 
located  on  a  commanding  eminence,  in  full  view  of  the  New 
York,  Hartford  &  N*?w  Haven  Railroad,  overlooking  the  city 
and  surrounding  country,  and  presenting  one  of  the  fin 
est  landscape  views  to  be  seen  in  the  vicinity.  The  admin 
istration  of  the  school,  on  the  part  of  the  State,  is  vested  in  a 
board  of  eight  trustees,  one  from  each  county  in  the  State, 
elected  for  four  years.  Two  of  them  are  retired  each  year, 
and  their  places  filled  by  the  Senate  in  executive  session. 
The  trustees  elect  superintendent  and  other  officers.  Next 
to  the  superintendent,  one  would  imagine,  is  the  farmer  of 
the  State  farm,  surrounding  the  school,  as  this  officer  has  to 
keep  a  watchful  eye  on  his  assistants  (the  reform  boys), 
some  of  whom  work  on  the  land,  while  others  learn  trades  in 
the  workrooms,  and  though  occasional!}'  some  of  these  farm- 
boys  prove  runaways,  yet  they  are  invariably  re-captured, 
and  return  very  penitent  to  school. 

The  interior  of  all  the  buildings  is  most  cleanly,  and  the 
chapel  service  is  conducted  very  orderly  and  with  decorum,  as 
the  discipline,  though  not  outwardly  severe,  shows  firmness 
by  those  in  authority. 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  115 

Occasionally  some  of  the  best  behaved  of  the  boys  are 
taken  to  concerts  at  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association, 
in  charge  of  an  officer,  and  the  little  fellows  seem  to  enjoy 
their  treat.  These  reform  schools  are  a  great  credit  to  the 
State  in  which  they  belong,  in  endeavoring  to  uplift  the 
wayward  and  vicious  boy  to  be  a  good  citizen. 

The  Trotting  Park. 

About  a  mile  from  the  city  limits  is  a  good  trotting-park, 
in  which  is  held  its  annual  agricultural  fair,  with  a  general  av 
erage  showing  of  cattle  raising.  At  the  trotting  and  running 
races  are  usually  seen  some  fast  horses  on  these  grounds  ; 
also  at  other  times  in  the  season,  when  matches  are  made  by 
citizens  of  Meriden  to  back  their  trotters  against  all  comers, 
as  the  city  magnates  are  well-known  owners  of  some  good, 
fleet  animals.  A  grand  stand  of  ample  size  is  on  the  ground, 
where  visitors  can  see  all  around  the  track.  Some  seasons 
ago  a  party  of  Mexican  horsemen  came  to  this  park  to  ex 
hibit  their  skill  and  prowess  on  their  mustang  ponies,  and 
certainly  such  rapid  and  skilful  riding  in  all  manner  of  posi 
tions  was  truly  wonderful ;  particularly  so,  when  one  looked 
at  the  poor,  half-starved,  ill-groomed  animals  ;  but  when  the 
word  kkoff"  was  given,  away  went  the  mustangs  like  the 
wind,  running  around  the  track,  the  riders  occasionally  lean 
ing  head  downwards,  and  in  other  grotesque  and  difficult 
postures  this  band  of  Mexican  horsemen  paraded  before  us. 
These  performers  had  also  a  game  of  polo  on  horseback  and 
on  foot ;  both  games  were  played  with  great  rapidity  of  ac 
tion,  and  with  the  appearance  of  some  little  danger  in  riding 
one  another  down  in  the  excitement  of  the  contest.  During 
the  agricultural  fair  of  1889  the  show  of  cattle  on  these 
grounds  was  said  to  be  the  finest  of  its  kind,  but  the  fair  was 
much  marred  by  stormy  weather. 

There  is  an  old  tradition  that  the  name  Merriden,  or  Mer 
iden,  is  compounded  of  two.  words,  "  Merry  "  and  "  den  "  ; 
and  that  in  an  old  stone  house  built  in  that  locality  there 
were  so  many  merry  meetings  of  travellers,  that  the  place 
acquired  the  nickname  of  "  Merry-den."  At  or  before  the 
union  of  the  colonies  of  Connecticut  and  New  Haven,  there 


116  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

was  a  grant  made  to  Mr.  Andrew  Belcher  of  a  tract  of  land, 
containing  nearly  five  hundred  acres,  on  condition  of  his 
building  a  stone  house  or  fort,  with  port-holes,  and  keeping 
arms  and  ammunition.  With  the  laud  he  was  to  have  the 
right  of  keeping  a  tavern  forever  The  stone  house  stood 
not  far  from  the  late  residence  of  Mr.  John  Yale,  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  town. 

The   Reservoir,   at   Meriden,   Conn. 

The  visitor  to  Merideu  may  find  an  interesting  excursion 
by  taking  the  road  to  ''The  Notch,"  between  West  and 
South  Mountains.  For  the  purpose  of  supplying  the  city  of 
Meriden  with  water,  a  lake  or  reservoir  has  been  formed,  a 
mile  in  length,  in  this  gorge.  The  reservoir  has  an  area  of 
seventy-seven  and  one  half  acres,  and  derives  its  waters  from 
the  drainage  of  the  various  declivities.  The  peaceful  still 
ness  of  the  lake,  lying  amid  woods  in  this  mountain  defile, 
used  to  be  broken  by  the  occasional  fishing  parlies,  who 
would  make  the  grand  old  place  echo  with  their  voices  and 
laughter,  and  serve  another  purpose  by  scaring  the  snakes 
away  which  might  be  lying  in  ambush  for  the  unwary. 
Many  times  have  the  writer  and  his  friends  visited  this 
charming  locality  ;  the  quiet  and  serenity  of  the  scene  gave 
us  the  idea  that  we  were  far  removed  from  the  haunts  of 
men,  instead  of  being  .so  near  to  the  busy  hives  of  industry 
on  the  plains  just  below. 

Cathole   Pass,   at   Meriden,  Conn. 

The  narrator  of  these  pages  having  often  walked  and 
driven  through  this  defile  of  Nature's  handiwork,  will  offer  a 
description  thereof.  The  tourist  will  find  great  attraction 
over  the  Kensington  road  to  the  long,  narrow  Cathole  Gap, 
or  Pass,  between  South  Mountain  and  Cathole  eminence,  and 
fancy  at  times  find  a  profile  of  Washington  in  the  outline  on 
the  highest  pinnacle  of  mountain  view.  The  Gap  is  cut  ob 
liquely  by  gorges,  and  hence  its  succession  of  summits  ;  the 
slopes  of  fallen  stones  that  descend  from  the  heights  to  the 
valley  originally  met  at  the  bottom,  where  many  of  the  large 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  117 

masses  lay  piled  in  heaps  ;  and  the  Cathole  Pass,  once  so 
difficult  of  travel  under  Nature's  formation,  thus  merited  its 
name.  There  is  now  a  good  carriage  road  through  it. 

The  view  from  the  more  southern  aspect,  over  the  Meriden 
region,  embraces  the  far-away  hills  and  dales  of  verdant 
countrv  and  the  rivers  flowing  to  Long  Island  Sound,  and 
is  one"of  great  beauty.  The  grand  pile  of  rocks  at  the  bot 
tom  of  the  celebrated"  Cathole  Pass,  derived  from  the  heights 
above,  suggests  motion  and  violence  ;  yet  the  boulders  of 
moss-covered  gray  and  green  look  quiet  enough  in  their  sub 
lime  repose,  though  the  work  of  falling  blocks  is  still  going 
quietly  on  at  intervals,  and  will  continue  as  long  as  storms 
and  Nature's  elements  displace  the  huge  fragments  from 
their  rocky  beds. 

"  You  can  train  the  eye  to  see  all  the  bright  places  in  life. 
And  so  slip  over  the  hard  ones  with  surprising  ease ; 
You  can  also  train  the  eye  to  rest  011  the  gloomy  spots, 
In  utter  forgetfulness  of  all  that  is  bright  and  beautiful." 


The   Tornado  at   Wallingford,   Conn. 

While  residing  in  Meriden,  some  years  ago,  the  mind  re 
calls  the  terrible  tornado  that  took  place  in  the  adjacent 
town  of  Wallingford.  Such  a  devastation  and  destruction  of 
human  life  and  property  by  the  mysterious  whirlwind  was 
most  appalling.  In  two  or  three  minutes,  without  warning, 
the  tornado  swept  over  the  doomed  little  city,  breaking, 
crushing,  and  hurling  the  frail  tenement  houses  like  so  many 
match-boxes  ;  also,  a  brick-built  school-house  came  in  for  its 
share  of  demolition.  Twenty-four  little  mounds  of  earth 
were  seen  a  few  days  after  the  dreadful  calamity,  in  the 
churchyard  near  by,  —  a  mute  and  sad  memento  of  the  vis 
itation.  The  deluge  of  rain  and  darkening  sky  accompanied 
the  cyclone  around  and  about  Connecticut  that  fatal  even 
ing.  Though  the  grief,  bereavement,  and  suffering  of  that 
terrible  whirlwind  will  be  felt  in  the  desolate  hearts  and 
homes  for  many  yenrs  to  come,  yet  generous,  helping  hands 
assisted  to  restore  the  wrecked  town  by  bountiful  subscrip 
tions,  to  aid  the  wounded  citizens  at  that  lamentable  time, 


118  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

so  that  now  not  a  vestige  is  to  be  seen  of  the  sad  havoc  of 
that  dreadful  calamity  which  invaded  the  peaceful  hamlet  of 
Wallingford. 

New  Britain,  Conn. 

A  pleasant  ride  of  some  few  miles  from  Meriden,  through 
villages  of  farming  land  and  the  pretty  township  of  Kensing 
ton,  brings  one  to  the  clean,  cosey  city  of  New  Britain, 
numbering  about  fifteen  thousand  inhabitants,  the  most  of 
whom  are  engaged  in  the  extensive  hardware  trade  carried 
on  here  by  eminent  firms.  The  most  noticeable  is  Russell 
&  Erwin's  large  establishment,  noted  for  first-class  bronze 
metal  and  iron  ware,  the  newest  and  choicest  designs  of  or 
namental  locks  and  butts,  and  other  useful  articles.  The 
Messrs.  Corbin  likewise  do  a  large  business  in  fine  hardware 
goods. 

About  two  and  a  half  miles  from  the  city  proper  is  a  sheet 
of  water  called  ''Shuttle  Meadow  Lake/'  in  the  summer 
season  much  frequented  by  all  classes.  The  narrator  has  en 
joyed,  with  friends,  some  pleasant  hours  in  fishing  from  its 
shores,  and  also  from  a  row-boat  moored  in  a  sequestred 
nook,  where  the  placid  waters  he:ive  gently  to  and  fro  in 
their  calm  repose.  This  lake  is  a  popular  rendezvous  for 
picnics  in  fine  weather,  tlie  German  element  generally  taking 
the  lead  in  these  gatherings,  and  oftentimes  have  the  glee- 
clubs  of  this  happy  race  been  heard  across  "Shuttle 
Meadow  "  in  their  vocal  festive  reunions,  as  they  sang  innu 
merable  wild,  weird  songs  of  their  fatherland. 

In  the  centre  of  New  Britain  is  an  enclosure,  or  small 
park,  prettily  laid  out,  and  planted  with  trees  and  shrubs  ; 
also  embellished  with  a  large  fountain,  the  cool,  splashing 
waters  of  which  gave  a  very  refreshing  look  on  a  hot  day 
From  the  hotel  parlor,  opposite  the  "Green,"  we  have 
oftentimes  enjoyed  the  quiet  of  eventide,  as  the  shadowy 
twilight  has  flickered,  wavered,  and  then  vanished  for  the 
day.  The  reservoir  on  Walnut  Hill  is  a  favorite  resort  of 
New  Britain  people  and  visitors  to  the  town,  where,  on  a 
clear  day,  the  gilt  dome  -of  the  Hartford  State  House  is  quite 
discernible  ;  also  many  other  distant  places  of  interest. 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  119 

A  feature  of  this  town  is  the  unusually  large  size  of  the 
yards  and  gardens  belonging  to  the  houses,  most  of  which 
are  kept  in  excellent  order  by  the  thrifty  owners.  In  the 
north  part  of  the  city  is  the  new  opera  house,  a  marked 
improvement  on  the  old  barn-like  theatre,  and  near  the 
"  Green"  is  a  tall,  stately  block  of  buildings,  with  modern- 
built  post-office,  erected  within  a  few  years,  and  other  ad 
vanced  strides  of  progress,  such  as  a  much-needed  want, 
that  of  a  new,  modern,  spacious  depot,  with  lengthened 
platform,  in  lieu  of  the  primitive  wayside  sort  of  station ; 
a  freight  depot  has  also  been  added,  of  increased  dimen 
sions,  to  meet  the  wants  of  increasing  traffic. 

New  Britain  has  several  large  churches,  presided  over 
by  eminent  divines,  and  many  Sabbaths  have  been  enjoyed 
by  the.  writer  in  these  sacred  edifices  during  his  twelve 
months'  stay  in  the  town  ;  and  in  the  pleasant  drives  of  the 
outlying  districts,  in  company  with  friends,  many  recollec 
tions  spring  up  of  past  years  with  treasured  memory. 

Not  far  distant  from  the  Strickland  House  was  (and  may 
still  be  there)  the  old  homestead  of  the  late  Mr.  Elihu  Bur- 
ritt,  linguist,  writer,  and  scholar.  The  aged  gentleman  was 
much  endeared  to  his  old  home,  and  in  his  later  days  could 
be  seen  in  his  garden,  quietly  ruminating  on  all  (perhaps) 
that  was  past  and  gone,  calmly  awaiting  the  end  of  his 
valued  life.  A  school-house  adjoining  is  mimed  after  the 
scholarly  gentleman,  a  fitting  emblem  of  remembrance  to  be 
handed  down  to  future  generations. 

Battle-flag   Day,   at  Hartford,   Conn. 

The  good  city  of  Hartford  never  counted  so  many  persons 
as  it  did  on  the  memorable  day  of  placing  the  flags  (in  the 
new  State  capitol)  taken  from  the  enemy  during  the  Civil 
War,  and  their  own  battered  but  honored  standards.  From 
early  morn  till  noon,  cars  loaded  with  citizen  soldiers  came 
from  all  parts  of  the  Northern  States,  to  do  honor  and 
respect  to  this  great  event.  The  streets  were  thronged  with 
holiday  sight-seers,  and  the  various  mottoes  and  devices  of 
welcome  were  everywhere  ;  the  streamers  flying  in  the  wind 
and  the  bands  of  music  playing  made  it  a  day  long  to  be 


120  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

remembered.  The  procession  of  soldiers  and  civil  authori 
ties  was  of  immense  length,  which  took  some  time  to  pass 
by,  and  as  the  day  was  a  very  hot  one,  kind  neighbors  fur 
nished  lemonade  and  other  light  refreshments  for  the  weary 
men  on  the  march  in  the  noonday  sun.  Gen.  Hawley, 
assisted  by  numerous  military  aids,  was  the  marshal  of  the 
day,  and  the  governor  of  Connecticut  and  his  staff  were  in 
attendance  at  the  State  capitol  to  assist  in  receiving  the  flags 
—  those  battered  tokens  of  bravery,  hardship,  and  military 
strife.  As  each  regiment  marched  past,  and  deposited  their 
color  in  the  hands  of  those  appointed  to  receive  it,  the  bands 
in  attendance  saluted  by  a  roll  of  drums  in  its  honor  and 
memory,  dimming  the  eyes  of  many  a  veteran  of  the  Grand 
Army  Corps  on  the  ground  ;  brave  men,  who  had  fought 
hard,  and  gave  their  sons'  best  blood  to  save  the  old  flag, 
and  save  the  severance  of  the  Union. 

The  Capitol  Park  was  a  very  animated  scone  on  that  day, 
and  was  literally  filled  with  soldiers  and  people,  all  bent  upon 
having  a  good  time  ;  and  many  wore  the  old  stories  told 
over  again,  of  how  hard-fought  battles  were  lost  and  won, 
and  the  hardships,  privations,  and  sufferings  at  Bull's  Run, 
Gettysburg,  and  other  blood-stained  battle-fields  were  re 
counted  again  and  again  to  old  cronies,  separated  for  years, 
but  brought  together  to-day  from  distant  States,  in  company 
with  the  few  of  their  old  comrades  left.  All  were  at  the 
steps  of  the  magnificent  capitol  to  bow  their  uncovered  heads 
as  the  salute  sounded  once  more  to  a  torn  and  battered  flag 
which  was  to  be  sacredly  taken  care  of  and  revered  within  the 
capitol  walls. 

It  was  a  grand  time,  this  storing  of  the  battle-flags,  and  it 
was  joyful  and  sorrowful  to  witness  those  brave  officers  and 
men,  all  intermingling  and  fraternizing  after  long  times  of 
separation  in  their  different  localities  and  avocations  of  life, 
once  more  brought  together,  perhaps  for  the  last  time,  as 
many  were  aged  and  bowed  in  form  ;  but  all  stood  erect, 
when  the  rataplan  gave  a  salute  to  the  next  honorable, 
bullet-shotten,  torn  standard,  that  faintly  fluttered  in  the 
wind,  an  emblem  of  the  brave  hearts  that  stood  around, 
also  tottering  and  worn  from  exposure  at  that  fatiguing  time 
of  strife,  and  from  infirmities  of  age;  but  still  all  were  able 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  121 

to  bold  up  their  beads  and  march  homeward  at  the  last 
roll  of  drums,  with  the  proud  consciousness  of  having  done 
their  duty  at  the  call  of  a  nation's  honor  in  jeopardy.  „ 

The  State  Capitol  at  Hartford. 

The  magnificent  capitol,  on  its  rising  ground,  seemed  to 
gain  renewed  splendor  from  the  associations  of  the  day,  as 
the  battle-flags  were  carefully  deposited  in  their  final  resting- 
place,  as  sacredly  as  if  it  was  a  friend  being  put  away  to 
bis  last  earthly  resting-place.  Any  one  of  my  readers, 
passing  through  Hartford,  should  pay  the  State  capitol  and 
park  grounds  a  visit ;  the  building  is  a  superior  one,  both 
interior  and  exterior.  The  Housex  of  Representatives  and 
the  Senate  Chamber  are  as  finely  equipped,  as  to  comfort 
and  elegance,  as  any  on  this  continent ;  there  are  some 
chaste  interior  decorations,  both  figure  and  ornamental ;  the 
floors  are  made  of  tesselated  pavement,  and  are  beautiful  in 
the  extreme.  Taken  altogether,  the  edifice  is  as  commodious 
as  it  is  elegant,  and  the  Hartford  citizens  may  well  be  proud 
of  their  really  fine  public  building,  while  the  whole  State  of 
Connecticut  may  justly  be  proud  of  its  capitol.  The  lofty 
dome  of  the  structure  is  seen  to  great  advantage  in  the  park, 
and  the  stone  carvings  of  the  exterior  command  attention  to 
its  merit  as  fine  work  of  the  sculptor's  chisel. 

Wethersfield  Prison,  near  Hartford,  Conn. 

On  a  warm,  balmy  day  of  June,  1879,  the  writer,  in  com 
pany  with  a  friend,  visited  the  above-named  prison  for  the 
State  of  Connecticut.  The  courteous  warden  showed  us 
through  this  abode  of  the  convicted.  On  a  rack  in  a  corner 
of  the  anteroom  was  a  file  of  loaded  muskets,  for  the  use  of 
the  officials  in  case  of  riot  or  attempted  escape  of  the  pris 
oners  confined  within.  Also  to  be  seen  are  numerous  imple 
ments  used  by  house-breakers  and  burglars,  such  as  gags, 
skeleton  keys,  etc.,  and  the  pistol  (a  small  one)  is  pointed 
out  as  the  weapon  that  fired  the  shot  which  killed  the  keeper, 
Shipman,  by  Hamblin  and  Allen  ;  both  were  then  awaiting 


122  KAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

-execution  for  that  murder  ;  eventually,  one  was  hanged,  and 
the  other  confined  in  prison  for  life ;  though  the  primary 
mover  and  tempter  of  the  wicked  deed,  and  unfaithful  watch 
man,  was  allowed  to  live  his  life-sentence. 

The  cells  or  sleeping  places  of  the  convicts  are  very 
small,  but  scrupulously  clean,  and  run  in  corridors  of  four 
tiers ;  each  row  of  cells  has  a  spring  bar,  which  is  let  down 
and  closes  all  the  key-holes  of  that  range,  when  the  prison 
ers  have  retired  for  the  night,  so  that  no  false  keys  can  be 
used  till  the  spring  bar  has  been  removed. 

All  along  the  entire  length  of  the  building  is  stout  stove 
piping  on  either  side,  warmed  by  two  very  large  coal-fires, 
even  in  that  warm  June  weather,  the  air  being  obliged  to 
be  kept  up  to  a  good  temperature,  to  prevent  dampness  ris 
ing  to  the  walls. 

The  number  of  male  prisoners  lodged  in  the  cells  every 
night  was  two  hundred  and  sixt3T-one  ;  the  female  convicts 
(located  in  a  distant  part  of  the  building)  numbered  but  six. 
~We  may  here  mention  that  a  small  force  of  seventeen  officers, 
all  told,  appeared  a  very  inadequate  strength  to  control,  in 
the  event  of  a  surprise  or  mutiny,  so  large  a  body  of  law 
less  men,  man}'  of  whom  had  the  reputation  of  having  been 
most  desperate  characters.  The  bread,  molasses,  soups,  and 
other  kinds  of  food  shown  us  appeared  very  excellent  in  qual 
ity,  of  which  an  ample  supply  is  allotted  to  each  inmate. 

"Passing  on  to  the  workshops,  we  found  convicts  of  all 
ages,  from  the  almost  boy  to  the  white-headed  old  man, 
each  busily  engaged  in  the  occupation  of  shoemaking  in  its 
Tarious  branches,  under  the  direction  of  paid  instructors,  and 
likewise  under  supervision  of  officers  perched  on  raised  seats 
-or  small  platforms  ;  the  prison  rules  not  permitting  prisoners 
to  talk  with  each  other,  neither  to  raise  their  eyes  to  look  at 
visitors.  In  one  of  these  shops  (it  being  his  first  day  at 
•work)  was  the  convict  Bishop ;  his  wan  face,  attenuated 
form,  and  dejected  mien  spoke  volumes  of  the  hopeless, 
inward  suffering  appertaining  to  a  life-sentence  for  wife- 
murder  by  poisoning.  The  escape  from  execution  of  this 
man  is  one  of  the  many  strange  acts  of  clemency  often  por 
trayed  by  the  law  authorities  of  the  State  of  Connecticut. 

In   all   stages  of  shoemaking  these  busy  criminals  work 


KAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  123 

their  ten  hours  per  day,  retiring  to  their  cells  to  bed,  and 
possibly  to  forgetfulnesa,  at  a  quarter  to  eight,  evenings  ; 
rising  to  sound  of  a  bell  at  a  quarter  to  six,  mornings ; 
thence  to  prayers,  afterwards  to  breakfast  and  the  day's 
labor.  Such  is  the  ordinary  daily  life  of  the  Wethersfield 
convict,  in  its  miserable  routine ;  and  we  may  mention, 
whenever  any  prisoners  meet  visitors  in  the  corridors,  the 
convicts  invariably  turn  their  faces  to  the  wall,  and  remain 
in  th  it  position  till  the  company  have  passed  ;  such  are  the 
stringent  rules. 

Various  small  articles,  such  as  tooth-picks,  paper-knives, 
and  watch-charms,  made  from  ivory  or  bone,  are  for  sale, 
manufactured  by  the  convicts  in  their  leisure  hours,  the  goods 
thus  sold  being  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  made  them. 

Crossing  a  large,  grassy  court-yard,  we  observed  a  senti 
nel  on  duty  at  the  top  of  its  high  walls,  pacing  up  and  down 
an  enclosed  sort  of  room,  watching  every  prisoner's  move 
ment  as  he  crosses  the  jail-yard  ;  and  woe  be  to  the  unlucky 
man  who  would  be  rash  enough  to  try  for  liberty,  for  a  shot 
from  the  pointed  rifle  would  speedily  end  the  criminal's  mis 
eries. 

How  gloriously  the  sun  shone  that  day  in  the  grassy  court 
yard,  but  the  rays,  as  the}'  danced  in  and  out  of  the  windows 
of  the  workshops,  must  have  appeared  as  a  mockery  to  those 
pale-faced  workers  within,  in  the  hopelessness" of  their 
drudging  life,  in  expiation  of  deeds  dreadful  to  think  of  in 
this  age  of  enlightenment.  .What  a  strange  catalogue  of 
crime  presents  itself  here  ;  men,  women,  and  youths,  many 
of  whom,  perhaps,  in  earlier  years  had  a  good  example  at 
home,  now  by  their  desperate  and  wayward  deeds  are  brought 
to  this  pass.  Perpetrators  of  all  degrees  of  crime  are  here  : 
murderers  for  money,  slayers  of  wives  in  fiendish  passion, 
through  drinking  or  jealousy,  burglars,  coiners,  forgers,  and 
the  worst  of  all,  the  premeditated  plotter  and  poisoner,  the 
last  named  of  whom  we  will  touch  as  lightly  as  we  can,  as  it 
refers  to  a  woman. 

Mrs.  Cobb  (the  poisoner  of  her  husband),  when  we  were 
shown  into  her  room,  was  industriously  sewing,  in  company 
with  Mrs.  Alexander,  of  Bridgeport  diabolical  notoriety,  and 
another  female  criminal.  A  lady  keeper  arose  as  we  entered, 


124  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

but  Mrs.  Cobb  perse veringly  averted  her  face  from  us,  and 
kept  her  head  down  to  her  work.  She  appeared  a  woman  of 
robust  health,  strong  and  vigorous  in  form,  —  a  decided  con 
trast  to  her  guilty  paramour,  Bishop.  Mrs.  Cobb  has  to  do 
her  share  of  washing,  ironing,  and  sewing,  and  other  menial 
work,  the  livelong  day. 

Naturally  a  feeling  of  compassion  arises  for  this  or  any 
other  woman  in  such  a  degraded  state,  doomed  to  drag  out  a 
lifelong  sentence,  as  it  were,  in  a  living  tomb,  with  the  dread 
ful  thought  always  in  mind  of  the  heinous  crime  of  husband 
poisoning ;  the  torture  of  accusing  conscience,  preying  by 
night  and  day,  must  be  punishment,  indeed,  for  that  crimi 
nal  intimacy  with  her  convicted  companion,  Bishop.  That 
a  final  ending  to  such  lives,  so  terribly  fraught  with  misery 
and  woe,  would  be  a  welcome,  one  could  imagine,  to  the 
miserable,  misguided,  and  guilty  pair. 

On  leaving  the  gloomy  portals  of  this  State  Prison,  one 
thought  possessed  us,  that  of  relief  to  breathe  the  pure  air  of 
heaven  once  more  outside  of  its  frowning  walls,  and  to 
ponder  how  differently  the  fates  of  those  within  might  have 
been,  had  their  headlong  passions  not  have  lost  their  balance 
of  good  against  evil,  and  to  have  inculcated  in  their  minds 
the  good  precepts  of  the  Redeemer's  guidance  by  leading  a 
righteous,  calm,  and  godly  life,  so  that  the  anguish  of  many 
a  broken  heart  would  have  been  avoided,  and  many  a  lost 
soul  saved  !  Well  might  the  poet  say  of  these  unfortunate 
criminals,  whose  penitence  was  sincere  :  — 

"  Stone  walls  do  not  a  prison  make, 

Nor  iron  bars  a  cage ; 
Minds  innocent  and  quiet  take 

That  for  an  hermitage. 
If  I  have  freedom  in  my  love, 

And  in  my  soul  am  free, 
Angels  alone,  that  soar  above, 
Enjoy  such  liberty." 

—  RICHARD  LOVELACE. 

The  Lady  of  the  Rock,  Connecticut. 

The  legend  of  this  little  story  is  founded  on  fact ;  history 
telling  us,  in  all  veracity,  of  the  trials,  troubles,  and  vicissi 
tudes  of  a  noble-hearted  ladv,  named  Alice  Heath,  who,  with 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  125 

her  young  husband  and  her  father,  fled  from  Great  Britain 
to  Connecticut,  New  England.  America,  endeavoring  to  find 
a  refuge  from  the  relentness  pursuit  instigated  against  them 
by  the  emissaries  of  Charles  II.  of  England,  for  the  part 
that  this  young  lady's  father  and  husband  played,  as  two  of 
the  judges  who  assisted  at  the  trial  of  the  unfortunate  king 
Charles  I.  ;  though  the  two  gentlemen  in  question  (Gen. 
Lisle  and  Mr.  Heath)  shrank  from  the  task  of  signing  the 
death-warrant  of  the  unhappy  monarch,  deeming  that  de 
thronement,  and  not  bloodshed,  was  sufficient. 

A  brief  retrospection  may  be  somewhat  interesting  to  my 
readers.  All  students  of  English  history  must  be  able  to 
recall  to  mind,  with  especial  distinctness,  that  period  in  its 
annals  when  the  persecuted  Charles  I.  drew  upon  himself  the 
odium  and  mistrust  of  Parliament ;  and  London  witnessed 
the  unprecedented  scene  of  the  trial  of  a  king  for  treason, 
before  a  court  choseii  from  amongst  his  subjects.  Of  more 
than  one  hundred  and  thirty  judges,  appointed  by  the  Com 
mons,  about  seventy  sat  in  constant  attendance.  Chief  in 
rank  and  importance  of  these  was  Gen.  Lisle,  a  man  of 
unwavering  firmness  of  purpose,  and  his  opposition  to  the 
fallen  monarch  was  dictated  by  the  purest  patriotism  and  re 
ligion.  His  beautiful  daughter,  Alice  Lisle  (afterwards  Mrs. 
Heath) ,  married  one  of  the  younger  judges  of  the  unfortunate 
monarch,  a  few  days  prior  to  the  execution  of  Charles  Stuart, 
and  it  is  on  history's  record  of  the  young  lady's  interview 
with  the  stern  Cromwell,  a  few  hours  before  the  death  of  the 
king  by  the  headsman  ;  her  bold  pleadings  for  mercy,  on 
behalf  of  the  fallen  monarch,  as  on  her  knees  she  begged 
long,  but  in  vain  ;  the  canting,  hypocritical  mou things  of  re 
ligion  were  in  Oliver  Cromwell's  speech,  as  he  rudely  bade  her 
cease  her  reiterations  on  behalf  of  the  "  Son  of  Baliol  "  ;  that 
he  must  die,  as  the  gods  had  so  willed  it.  The  passing  over 
of  the  sanguinary  execution,  which  was  a  lasting  disgrace  to 
the  land  which  bore  the  name  of  England  :  the  great  powers 
given  to  Cromwell  and  the  Protectorate  ;  his  busy,  eventful 
life,  so  full  of  the  boldness  of  character,  and  his  endeavors 
to  restore  something  like  order  to  his  distracted  country,  are 
well  known  to  my  readers.  Cromwell's  death,  years  after, 
soon  paved  the  way  for  the  return  of  Charles  II.,  or  the 


126  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

"  merrie  monarch,"  as  he  was  termed  ;  but  how  a.  son  could 
be  joyous  and  light-hearted  a  few  years  after  his  father  had 
been  so  unjustly  put  to  death,  is  beyond  the  writer's  compre 
hension.  Suffice  i£  to  say,  Charles  II.  had  energy  enough 
left  in  him  to  give  the  royal  mandate  for  the  searching  out 
and  punishment  of  his  father's  murderers. 

A  few  miles  from  New  Haven,  Conn.,  was  an  umbrageous 
wood  in  a  green  valley,  surrounded  by  various  rocky  hills,  of 
considerable  height,  rising  in  some  places,  one  above  another, 
with  great  regularity,  the  highest  apparently  touching  the 
horizon,  and  the  progressive  ascent  seeming  like  a  ladder  of 
approach  to  the  sky.  It  was  here,  in  one  of  Nature's  fast 
nesses  or  cavern,  that  Alice  Heath  and  her  husband  and 
father  lay  hidden  for  a  long  time,  food  being  stealthily  given 
the  fugitives  by  kind-hearted  relatives.  At  length,  growing 
weary  of  the  hunted  life,  Alice  Heath  went  alone  on  board  a 
vessel  to  England,  to  try  to  obtain  forgiveness  for  her  father 
and  her  partner  for  life.  She  was  seized,  on  entering  Great 
Britain,  and  immured  in  prison  for  sixteen  long  years,  as  a 
hostage  for  her  friends.  The  king  was  not  acquainted  with 
the  fact,  —  so  says  the  legend,  — and  when  Alice  Heath,  by 
the  powerful  interest  of  the  Duke  of  Buckingham,  at  last  ob 
tained  an  interview  with  the  merrie  monarch,  his  Majesty 
was  struck  with  the  lady's  devotion  to  her  friends  ;  and 
being  informed  of  her  strenuous  efforts  in  pleading  his  un 
fortunate  father's  case  before  the  stony-hearted  Cromwell, 
the  king  gave  at  once  his  pardon  to  Gen.  Lisle  and  Mr. 
Heath.  The  lady's  return  to  America,  with  the  good  news, 
was  in  time  only  to  see  her  father  (now  an  aged  man)  die 
peacefully  on  beholding  his  brave  daughter  once  more. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heath  ended  their  days  in  Boston  ;  and 
oftentimes,  in  the  gloaming  of  eventide,  the  eventful  trials  of 
their  young  life  was  a  subject  between  them,  of  gratitude 
for  some  years  of  peace  and  comfort ;  and  the  sad  remem 
brance  of  their  fugitive  career  amongst  the  verdant  hills  of 
Connecticut,  when  Mistress  Alice  Heath  was  occasionally 
seen  as  a  vapory  spirit,  emerging  from  the  cavernous  recesses, 
causing  disquiet  to  the  simple  villagers,  who  invariably  termed 
her  the  "  Lady  of  the  Hoclc." 


KAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  127 


Waterbury,  Conn.,  the  "Brass  City." 

Waterbury,  Conn.,  is  situated  in  the  well-known  Nauga- 
tuck  valley,  and  is  ninety-two  miles  from  New  York,  and  one 
hundred  and  forty-nine  from  Boston.  The  city  proper  con 
tains  a  floating  population  of  about  thirty  thousand  inhabi 
tants,  most  of  whom  are  busy  workers  in  the  brass  manufac 
tories  of  the  town.  The  great  extent  of  producing  articles 
of  every  form  and  shape  of  needed  usefulness  in  these  hives 
of  industry  is  something  marvellous.  A  long,  steady  stream 
of  constant  workers,  men,  boys,  and  girls,  may  be  seen  by 
the  hundreds  at  seven  o'clock  A.  M.  and  at  six  o'clock  p.  M.t 
wending  their  way  patiently  to  and  from  their  toilsome 
labors.  In  passing  through  these  hives  of  industry,  one  is 
struck  with  the  amount  of  perfected  machinery  in  working 
order  at  these  large  factories,  for  labor-saving  machines  are 
used  as  much  as  possible  in  every  way,  from  the  making  of  the 
minutest  watch  movement  to  the  big  brass  easel  or  church 
pulpit  and  lectern,  and  in  fact  all  articles  needed  in  elegance 
or  domesticity,  of  hard  and  soft  metal  ware.  One  of  the 
foremost  firms  amongst  the  man}'  brass  manufacturers  of  this- 
city  used  to  be  the  Matthews  &  Willard  Company,  whose 
business  premises  were  of  large  dimensions,  and  whose  trade 
was  chiefly  in  decorative  and  ornamental  hard-metal  work. 
The  Waterbury  Watch  Company  is  another  very  busy  empo 
rium  which  the  writer  inspected. 

The  places  of  amusement  in  Waterbury  are  not  numerous t 
but  enough  for  the  requirements  of  its  population.  .  Jean 
Jacques  Opera  House,  recently  erected,  is  quite  a  neat,  com 
modious  theatre,  and  many  good  travelling  companies  play 
here  in  the  season .  This  opera  house  is  certainly  an  improve 
ment  on  the  old-time  theatrical  City  Hall,  with  its  hard-seat 
ing  benches,  and  boys  running  around  with  cushions  to  sit  on 
for  an  extra  dime,  over  the  dollar  seat  fare. 

The  business  or  store  portion  of  the  city,  called  the  "  Cen 
tre,"  is  located  in  a  valley,  or  lower  portion  of  the  town ; 
while  in  the  upper  part  of  the  city  are  some  tine  residences, 
chiefly  occupied  by  the  wealthy.  The  views  from  the  heights 
overlooking  the  environs  are  quite  interesting,  particularly 
where  the  eye  catches  the  silvery  streak  of  the  flowing  Nau~ 


128  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

gatuck  River,  in  its  pebbly  bed  of  granite.  Waterbury  some 
thirty  years  ago  was  a  very  different  place  from  to-day,  the 
suburbs  of  the  city  being  then  but  mere  waste  lands.  That 
was  before  American  enterprise  built  the  large  mills  and 
factories  in  the  immediate  neighborhood.  In  November, 
1886,  horse-car  operations  commenced  in  Waterbury,  and 
some  months  afterwards  a  new  element  of  business  extension 
was  carried  out,  that  of  the  Meriden  &  Waterbury  Railroad 
Company  ;  and  now  the  two  busy  cities  will  be  in  a  manner 
drawn  together  by  iron  bands,  and  vie  with  each  other  in 
their  emulation  of  good-natured  rivalry  in  trade  prospects. 

On  Monday  evening,  April  25,  1887,  Gen.  W.  T.  Sher 
man  and  John  Sherman  (the  senator)  visited  Waterbury  for 
the  first  time,  en  route  to  Woodbury,  twelve  miles  distant,  to 
visit  the  house  of  their  ancestors,  and  to  look  over  the  graves 
of  their  progenitors,  buried  in  the  cemetery  there.  The 
brothers  Sherman,  soldier  and  statesman,  looked  somewhat 
alike,  the  general  being  the  tallest  in  stature,  and  most 
reserved  in  speech,  whilst  the  financier  was  inclined  to  be 
communicative.  Both  men  showed  their  age  by  their  worn 
look  and  gray  beards,  but  their  unassuming  mien  and  gentle 
manly  bearing  soon  became  apparent  to  a  stranger. 

The  wonderful  career  of  these  two  American  citizens  calls 
forth  a  few  remarks.  The  memorable  march  through  Georgia 
to  the  sea,  during  the  late  Civil  War,  will  ever  be  remem 
bered  as  a  marvellous  military  achievement  of  daring,  fatigue, 
and  endurance.  Gen.  Sherman  dashed  through  the  hostile 
South,  accompanied  by  his  brave  soldiers,  with  indomitable 
courage  of  trained  veterans,  though  no  doubt  many  poor  and 
weary  men  fell  from  sheer  exhaustion,  but  the  end  was  gained 
—  that  of  glory,  as  it  is  termed.  And  twenty-five  years  after 
all  this,  we  behold  the  once  dashing  young  Sherman,  a  quiet, 
reserved,  old  citizen,  on  a  pilgrimage  to  the  graves  of  his 
ancestors.  Not  many  Union  generals  of  the  late  war  remain 
amongst  us.  Gen.  Grant,  the  once  idol  of  the  army,  has 
gone  to  his  rest,  and  many  other  brave  soldiers  have  left  us  ; 
while  the  South  has  lost  its  Gen.  Lee,  Stonewall  Jackson,  and 
other  gallant  men  on  their  side. 

After  this  digression,  we  return  to  our  subject.  A  mas 
querade  ball,  under  the  auspices  of  the  "German  Turner 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  129 

Society,"  was  given  in  March,  1887,  at  the  City  Hall,  Water- 
bury.  "  The  writer  of  these  pages  had  an  invitation,  and  he 
donned  a  naval  uniform  of  antique  period,  accompanied  by  a 
lady  as  a  shepherdess,  and  went  through  the  arduous  effort 
of  dancing  with  suffocating  masks  on  our  faces.  The  effect 
that  evening  was  very  inspiriting  ;  the  grotesque  and  comical, 
mixed  up  with  the  sentimental  by  the  various  characters 
assumed,  was  a  curious  sort  of  by-play  of  the  world's  ways. 
The  music  of  the  evening  was  very  creditable,  and  some  of 
the  costumes  quite  elegant. 

Being  invited  to  the  St.  Margaret's  College  annual  school 
fair,  a  very  pleasant  evening  was  spent  inspecting  the  goods 
in  the  school  parlors,  the  tables  being  loaded  with  ladies' 
specimens  of  fine  needle-work,  and  fine  art  productions  on 
sale  for  charitable  purposes.  The  floral  bower  caused  great 
attraction,  by  the  pretty  faces  peeping  through.  At  eight 
o'ctock  P.  M.  the  audience  was  ushered  into  the  large  school 
room  of  the  college,  to  witness  the  event  of  the  evening,— 
the  lady  pupils  'undertaking  the  difficult  task  of  playing 
Shakespeare's  comedy  of  "  Much  Ado  about  Nothing."  On 
crossing  the  lawn  to  the  door  of  the  main  building,  we  soon 
found  the  spacious  school-room  was  utilized  for  the  auditorium, 
as  it  were,  of  a  theatre,  for  the  convenience  of  the  hundreds 
of  well-dressed  guests  of  all  ages,  from  the  little  miss  of  ten 
der  years  to  the  young  lady  in  her  teens,  who  npparently 
received  the  admiration"  of  their  young  gentlemen  friends  as 
their  just  due.  The  extreme  end  of  the  floor  had  a  small 
stage,  with  some  primitive  scenery  of  woodland,  a  large 
archery  target,  and  some  lawn  tennis  racquets.  The  costumes 
of  theVoung  lady  performers  were  well-fitting,  graceful,  and 
elegant,  and  worn  as  if  they  belonged  to  them.  The  make 
up  "of  the  fresh  young  faces 'of  the  girls  was  very  peculiar  and 
somewhat  amusing.  Benedick  and  the  other  male  characters 
of  the  play  were  all  enacted  by  the  young  lady  scholars  ;  and 
Shakespeare  would  have  been  pleased  to  see  these  assumed 
young  cavaliers  in  silken  hose  and  doublet,  and  highly 
polished  boots  to  their  shapely  limbs,  marching  about  the 
mimic  stage  with  graceful  deportment ;  and  their  fair,  rosy 
faces,  embellished  with  a  tiny  moustache  or  full  beard,  were 
quite  natural,  till  the  voices  of  the  would-be  cavaliers  were 


130  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

heard,  then  the  feminine  sounds  of  articulation  were  easily 
discovered,  and  the  warm  evening  necessitated  the  various 
lords  and  noblemen  to  use  the  fans  very  vigorously,  thus  tak 
ing  away,  as  it  were,  the  male  genuineness  of  the  characters 
of  the  play.  Benedick  and  Beatrice,  the  leading  players-  in 
"  Much  Ado  about  Nothing,"  acquitted  themselves  well,  as 
did  all  the  other  young  ladies  ;  the  only  fault,  if  any,  was 
the  selection  of  so  difficult  a  comedy  for  amateurs. 

The  elocution  and  declamation  of  the  St.  Margaret  School 
players  showed  the  training  of  a  master  mind  in  the  cultiva 
tion  of  the  voice  and  the  gestures  at  the  right  time,  and 
reflect  great  credit  to  Prof.  Russell,  the  principal  of  the 
college,  for  his  teaching  of  the  pupils  under  his  charge,  in 
this  extra  branch  of  young  ladies'  education,  and  where  so 
much  study  has  to  be  inculcated  in  these  modern  days  of 
advancement  and  refinement. 

The  Soldiers'  Monument,  in  Waterbury. 

A  fitting  memorial,  erected  on  the  Green,  opposite  St. 
John's  Church,  is  the  soldiers'  monument,  in  remembrance 
of  the  brave  fellows  who  fell  in  defence  of  the  unity  of  the 
Union. 

The  granite  obelisk  is  surmounted  by  a  colossal  figure 
representing  the  Goddess  of  Liberty,  worked  in  bronze. 
On  each  plinth  of  column  is  a  soldier*  or  sailor  in  full  regi 
mentals,  in  attitudes  of  defence,  emblematical  of  their  will 
in  the  endeavor  to  maintain  intact  their  country's  flag. 

The  cost  of  the  soldiers'  monument  of  Waterbury  was 
thirty  thousand  dollars  ;  and  this  tribute  of  veneration  to 
the  brave  men  of  the  l^rass  City  (most  of  whom  fell  in 
action)  is  annually  decorated  with  flowers,  and  speeches  of 
patriotic  character,  by  selected  speakers,  are  listened  to  with 
much  zest  on  the  day  of  decoration. 

Ansonia  and  Birmingham. 

Quite  a  romantic  ride  of  some  few  miles  out  of  Waterbury 
is  the  journey  to  Ansonia  by  the  railway  cars.  An  almost 
continuous  view  of  nearly  perpendicular  scenery  skirts  the 


KAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  131 

Naugatuck  River  for  some  miles,  passing  on  our  route  Hill 
Rock  Grove,  a  very  popular  resort  for  picnic  parties  during 
the  summer  season.  Ansonia,  Birmingham,  and  Derby  are 
all  busy  centres  of  brass  and  britannia  goods,  the  towns 
adjoining  one  another,  the  river  dividing  them  by  its  broad, 
shining  expanse  of  water,  free  from  rocks  and  eddies,  which 
are  to  be  found  at  the  source  of  the  Naugatuck  River.  In 
the  more  tortuous  and  narrow  streams  navigation  of  even  a 
small  beat  is  utterly  impossible  for  some  miles,  but  as  the 
river  approaches  Derby,  the  addition  of  much  larger  streams 
emptying  into  Old  Ocean  causes  it  to  be  navigable  for  small 
steamers  and  other  craft  en  route  to  Bridgeport  and  New 
York.  We  may  add  that  the  water-power  for  mill  purposes 
is  extensively  used,  where  practicable,  all  along  the  Nauga 
tuck  River  and  valley. 

The  Family  Cat,  "Mitey." 

A  full-grown  feline  of  unusually  large  size,  of  the  male 
species,  is  a  great  favorite  of  our  family  circle  ;  from  a  small 
kitten  it  has  been  domesticated  amongst  us,  and  grown  grad 
ually  into  the  young-tiger-like  dimensions  of  a  big  cat ;  its 
color  is  tawny  and  striped,  bearing  some  resemblance  to  a 
wild  animal.  From  its  very  earliest  age  its  propensity  for 
pugilistic  encounters  was  terrible,  when  attacked  or  imposed 
upon  ;  though  naturally  of  a  quiet,  kind  nature  at  home, 
yet  a  perfect  demon  abroad,  and  woe  betide  the  unlucky 
tom-cat  that  crossed  the  war- path  of  our  pet  and  favorite. 
Mitey  has  been  somewhat  of  a  traveller  ;  born  and  reared  in 
Meriden,  Conn.,  he  was  transferred  from  thence  to  New 
York  Cit}^,  where,  having  arrived  but  a  few  hours,  he  fought 
and  conquered  innumerable  other  felines  in  quite  a  scientific 
mnnner.  Some  months  later,  the  animal  was  brought  to 
New  Haven  on  the  day  steamer,  the  writer  having  charge  of 
his  Highness.  It  being  summer  time,  and  music  played  on 
the  deck,  Mitey,  in  his  large  basket  prison,  was  placed  near 
the  big  fiddle,  to  hear  the  music,  and  likewise  get  the  fresh 
air  and  sea  breeze.  When  the  first  tune  (a  waltz)  was  being 
played,  the  cat  chimed  in  with  his  solo,  much  to  the  surprise 
of  the  musicians  and  the  numerous  bystanders. 

Lately,  since  his   settlement  in  New   Bedford,  Mitey  has 


132 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 


got  somewhat  in  disgrace,  stopping  from  home  days  and 
nights,  and  having  no  regular  meals  ;  when  at  last,  in  obe 
dience  to  his  young  mistress's  repeated 'calls  of  '-  Mitey, 
Mitey,"  his  head  appears  above  the  back  fence,  minus  a  part 
of  his  ear,  one  eye  closed  and  swollen,  the  fore  paws  bruised 
and  torn  ;  in  fact,  his  whole  air  and  bearing  having  a  most 
disreputable  look  of  an  old  warrior,  who  has  been  a  long 
time  skirmishing  on  the  war-path. 

Mitey  is  getting  on  in  years  now,  and   cannot  show  fight 
with  as  much  vigor  as  usual,  keeps  at  home  more,  and  dozes 


by  the  fire,  with  one  eye  closed  and  the  remaining  eye  open, 
on  the  lookout  for  any  passing  enemy  in  the  yard.  ^  Quite  a 
number  of  portraits  of  the  indomitable  Mitey  ^  in  the  various 
stages  of  his  existence,  from  the  kitten  to  the  matured  old 
veteran,  adorn  the  walls  of  the  house  ;  these  life-like  pictures 
being  faithfully  executed  by  the  young  lady  artist  who  owns 
Mitey,  and  who  always  imagines  the  turbulent  old  cat  can 
never  be  in  the  wrong,  in  the  various  encounters  with  his 
different  enemies  of  the  neighborhood.  Dogs  and  kittens 
are  an  aversion  to  our  friend  Mitey.  When  met  with,  he 
majestically  walks  away,  as  if  they  were  beneath  his  notice. 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  133 

One  day  our  parrot  got  out  of  the  cage,  and  walked  on  the 
floor  of  the  room,  where  the  cat  was  lying.  In  an  instant, 
Mitey  was  on  the  defensive  for  a  battle  royal  with  the  saucy 
bird,  who  was -continually  calling  out  names  offensive  to  the 
feline  animal.  However,  after  a  brief  survey  of  each  other, 
a  sort  of  truce  seemed  to  be  entered  into,  and  compromise 
effected,  as  the}T  went  expeditiously  in  opposite  directions. 

The  Cat,  Kitten,  and  Mouse,  at  Boston. 

An  acquaintance  of  'the  writer,  who  keeps  a  meat  market 
in  Faneuil  Hall  Squa.re,  Boston,  lately  showed  to  his  friends 
a  full-grown  cat,  who  a  few  weeks  since  caught  a  large 
mouse,  and  instead  of  killing  the  little  animal,  as  most  of 
the  feline  tribe  do,  introduced  the  nearly  frightened  to  death 
mouse  to  a  small  kitten  belonging  to  the  cat.  It  was  a 
strange  sight  to  witness  the  playfulness  of  the  mouse  and  the 
gambols  of  the  kitten,  one  with  the  other,  in  a  deep  box, 
where  they  were  kept ;  the  mother  cat  with  them,  looking 
calmly  on,  no  doubt  surprised  in  her  catly  way  at  her  own 
forbearance  in  not  sacrificing  poor  mousey.  One  day,  how 
ever,  the  mouse  by  some  means  escaped  from  the  box,  and 
was  away  four  hours  ;  the  cat  during  that  time  sat  discon 
solately  on  the  top  of  the  box,  mewing  and  whining  in  a  way 
felines  do,  eventually  bringing  the  little  truant  from,  its  hid 
ing  place  ;  and  the  owner  said,  such  a  fuss  of  a  meeting  took 
place,  wonderful  to  witness,  between  the  old  cat  and  mouse, 
at  the  return  of  the  little  animal,  and  they  are  now  better 
friends  than  ever. 

A  most  notable  story  seems  attached  to  the  cat  (a  slate 
color) ,  who  it  seems  formerly  belonged  to  some  ship's  captain. 
Far  away  in  mid-ocean,  on  a  slender  raft,  this  same  cat  was 
picked  up  by  some  humane  sailor,  and  brought  to  Boston. 
Not  a  vestige  of  a  living  being  was  found  on  the  raft ;  the 
cat  was  the  only  occupant ;  where  from,  and  how  long  she 
had  been  there,  is  a  mystery.  It  may  be  she  resembles 
Capt.  Marryatt's  "  Snarleyow,  the  dog  fiend,"  for  her  reputa 
tion  at  times  of  vicious  temper,  in  biting  and  scratching,  is 
proverbial ;  yet  to  that  helpless  mouse  at  her  mercy  she  was 
kind  and  forbearing,  though  her  courage  in  killing" rats  con 
tinues  as  vigilant  as  ever,  in  protecting  her  master's  property. 


PAET  II. 


Tour  through  Canada. 

"  As  one  who  looks  on  landscapes  beautiful 

Will  feel  their  spirit  all  his  soul  pervade ; 
Even  as  the  heart  grows  stiller  hy  the  lull 
Of  falling  waters,  when  the  winds  are  laid." 

HAVING  long  felt  a  desire  to  visit  a  portion  of  the  Canadas, 
we  left  the  city  of  Boston  for  Burlington,  passing  through 
Fitchburg,  Concord,  and  numerous  other  cities  and  towns  on 
our  way  to  New  Hampshire,  amidst  most  beautiful  woodland 
and  wild,  natural  beauty.  Vermont,  with  her  chain  of  snow- 
clad  mountains,  whose  summits  seem  to  pierce  the  skv,  is  a 
country  presenting  scenery  of  a  most  romantic  and  sublime 
character.  Some  of  my  readers  may  be  acquainted  with  the 
story  of  ihe  White  Mountain  Notch,  where  an  entire  family 
of  nine  persons  were  buried  some  years  ago,  under  a  land 
slide  from  the  mountains.  On  visiting  the  scene  of  this 
catastrophe  with  a  party  of  gentlemen,  we  could  not  help  a 
feeling  of  awe  at  beholding  the  air  of  desolation  that  pre 
vailed  throughout  the  valley,  and  especially  about  the  little 
farmhouse,  once  occupied  by  the  death-doomed  family  of  the 
Willeys.  After  partaking  of  some  cake  and  wine  at  an 
adjacent  hotel,  our  attendant  blew  a  blast  on  a  tin  horn,  the 
sound  of  which  immediately  wakened  up  the  echoes  from  the 
farther  side  of  the  mountain.  One  of  our  party  remarked 
that  the  destruction  of  the  Willey  family  was  a  dreadful  visi 
tation.  "Yes,  sir,"  said  our  guide,  ""  that  was  a  pretty 
sollum  accident." 

On  reaching  Burlington,  we  crossed  Lake  Champlain  in  a 
steamboat,  and  truly,  after  the  eternal  din,  racket,  and  dust 
of  the  railway  travelling,  a  quiet,  easy  passage  over  the 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  135 

smooth  water  was  a  most  agreeable  change.  American  river 
steamboats,  as  the  reader  is  aware,  have  a  raised  or  upper 
deck,  to  serve  HS  a  promenade  for  passengers,  and  command 
ing  a  fine  view  of  the  scenery  through  the  chain  of  lakes  ;  so 
that  passing  a  calm  evening  on  deck,  while  traversing  these 
waters,  is  a  treat  by  no  means  to  be  despised.  We  took  tea 
on  board,  and  found  the  evening  meal  very  refreshing,  after 
the  heat,  dust,  and  travel  of  a  long  day's  journey.  We 
landed  at  Plattsburg,  where  we  slept ;  as  much,  at  least,  as 
the  mosquitoes  would  let  us  ;  and  early  next  morning  once 
more  embarked  and  steamed  across  another  portion  of  the 
lake  to  Rouse's  Point,  at  which,  being  a  frontier  town  of 
Canada,  a  custom  house  officer  examined  our  baggage. 
Thence  we  proceeded  by  railway,  passing  at  a  rapid  rate 
numerous  French-looking  towns  and  villages,  reaching  at  last 
the  south  bank  of  the  river  St.  Lawrence,  opposite  Montreal, 
to  which  city  we  crossed  over. 

On  arriving  at  this,  the  chief  commercial  town  of  Lower 
Canada,  we  were  greatly  amused  to  hear  the  scores  of  hack- 
drivers  bawling  and  shouting  out,  with  the  power  of  so  many 
Stentors,  the  names  of  the  different  hotels ;  while  the  police 
men  stood  quietly  looking  on,  with  a  dejected  air,  as  if  they 
but  ill  relished  their  occupations.  Our  party  engaged  rooms 
at  one  of  the  best  hotels,  and  then  sauntered  out  to  see  the 
city  of  Montreal.  The  public  buildings  are  not  very  num 
erous,  the  leading  edifices  being  the  Roman  Catholic  cathe 
dral,  the  English  cathedral  church,  with  its  lofty  spire,  a 
handsome,  commodious  post-office,  City  Hall,  etc.  Montreal 
has  several  large  market-houses,  but  one  cannot  say  that  the 
goods  exposed  in  them  looked  very  tempting,  by  the  thou 
sands  of  flies  and  insects  that  hovered  around  and  settled  on 
the  wares.  The  weather,  however,  was  so  oppressively  hot, 
that  going  out  in  mid-day  was  almost  impossible. 

Montreal  Carnival  "Week,  January,  1885. 

As  a  slight  digression  in  the  season's  calendar,  we  might 
say  that  the  Ice  Carnival,  which  is  now  quite  an  established 
institution  in  Montreal,  is  quite  in  contrast,  as  regarding 
temperature,  to  summer  travelling.  The  winter  celebration 


136  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

and  Carnival  for  1885  was  brought  to  a  close  Jan.  31,  so  far 
as  the  official  programme  was  concerned,  by  a  liberal  display 
of  fireworks  and  colored  lights  at  the  Ice  Palace.  The  gay- 
eties,  however,  were  not  yet  over,  for  many  visitors  remained 
in  the  city,  who  found  it  hard  to  tear  themselves  away  from 
the  very  pleasant  associations  they  had  formed  during  the 
week.  The  palace  of  ice  still  stood,  and  would  stand  for 
weeks  to  come  ;  the  snow-shoers  still  went  on  their  merry 
tramps,  and  the  toboggan  hills  were  in  their  glory.  The  next 
few  weeks,  in  fact,  were  the  very  best  time  in  which  to  enjoy 
Montreal's  out-door  attractions,  as  most  of  the  crowd  will  be 
gone,  and  the  bustle  and  excitement  will  have  subsided. 
The  Carnival  of  1885  has  been  very  successful;  the  visitors 
were  more  pleased  with  the  grand  wintry  sight  of  the  Ice 
Palace  than  usual,  and  the  long  procession  of  snow-shoers, 
skaters,  sleighing  parties,  military  attacking  and  repulsing 
companies  were  perfect  in  their  arrangements,  and  there  has 
been  less  extortion  this  year.  It  is  estimated  that  fifty 
thousand  persons  have  visited  Montreal  during  the  Carnival 
week  ;  and  as  th<-y  have  been  accommodated  comfortably,  it 
is  safe  to  assume  that  this  recreative  sport  is  growing  in 
favor,  and  becoming  popular ;  and  it  also  seems  to  indicate 
that  the  authorities  at  Montreal  are  getting  experienced  in 
handling  her  great  winter  festival  of  Ice  Carnival  amuse 
ments. 

Down  the  St.  Lawrence  to  Quebec. 

The  tourist  when  in  Canada  should  take  one  of  the  num 
erous  steamers,  say  from  Montreal,  and  sail  down  the  superb 
St.  Lawrence  River  to  Quebec,  the  distance  being  about  one 
hundred  and  eighty  miles.  The  interest  of  the  trip  is  often 
enhanced  by  the  frequent  falling  in  with  the  huge  floating 
timber-fields  of  the  lumberers  (trading  from  up  the  country 
down  to  Quebec) ,  who,  after  collecting  the  logs  cut  from  the 
forests,  at  the  mouths  of  the  various  rivers  flowing  into  the 
great  lake,  form  them  into  immense  rafts,  but  capable  of 
division  and  subdivision,  to  allow  of  their  passage  through 
rivers  and  down  the  rapids  and  sloping  aqueducts,  called 
slides,  common  on  the  St.  Lawrence  between  Lake  Erie  and 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  137 

Quebec.  These  rafts  have  on  them  sometimes  whole  fam 
ilies,  with  their  bedding  and  cooking  utensils,  by  means  of 
which  they  make  themselves  as  comfortable  as  if  they  were 
at  home.  It  is  a  curious  life  of  hardship  and  adventure  that) 
these  Canadian  boatmen  lead ;  and  yet  they  seem  always 
merry  and  light-hearted  ;  chorusing,  as  we  passed  them,  their 
wild" 

•  •  Hi  oh !  boatmen  row, 
Singing  down  the  river  Ohio!  " 

and  capering  about  as  if  they  had  never  known  an  hour  of 
trouble.  We  may  add,  that  at  night  they  always  burn 
beacon-fires  on  board  these  rafts,  as  otherwise  they  would 
stand  a  chance  of  being  run  down  by  one  of  the  numerous 
steamers  passing. 

Quebec. 

Quebec  is  situated  on  a  promontory  terminated  by  Cape 
Diamond,  at  the  confluence  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  St. 
Charles  rivers.  The  approach  to  it  down  the  river  is  ex 
tremely  beautiful,  —  the  rocky  heights  on  either  side,  the 
quantities  of  shipping  riding  at  anchor,  the  view  of  the  lower 
town  under  the  cliffs,  and  the  immense  masses  of  timber 
logs,  partly  aground,  partly  floating  in  the  stream,  all  con 
tributing  to  give  a  diversified  aspect ;  while  high  above, 
elevated  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  river,  bris 
tling  with  cannon,  rises  the  citadel,  which  has  not  inaptly  been 
termed  the  k<  Gibraltar  of  the  New  World."  The  soldiers  of 
the  garrison  looked  like  healthy,  hardy  fellows,  and  on  the 
writer  mentioning  the  severity  of  the  Canadian  winters,  tne 
guide  in  attendance  said,  "  We  do  not  mind  it ;  we  have  to 
keep  the  court-yard  clear  of  snow,  which  gives  us  plenty  of 
work,  and  circulates  the  blood  in  our  veins,  and  then  on  the 
long,  dark  evenings  we  have  a  bit  of  a  dance  with  our  com 
rades'  wives  and  daughters." 

The  obelisk,  erected  by  Lord  Dalhousie  in  the  castle  gar 
den,  commemorates  the  death  of  the  gallant  English  and 
French  generals,  Wolfe  and  Mont  calm,  both  of  whom  fell  in 
the  memorable  battle  on  the  Heights  of  Abraham,  Sept.  13, 


138  U AMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

1 759  ;  a  battle  which  resulted  in  the  total  annihilation  of  the 
French  power  in  Canada. 

A  little  below  the  Heights,  close  by  the  residence  and 
offices  of  the  governor-general,  is  a  handsome  terrace,  which 
forms  the  fashionable  promenade  of  Quebec. 

The  city  is  divided  into  Upper  and  Lower  Town ;  the 
former  on  the  summit  of  the  promontory,  the  latter  on  the 
shore  beneath  ;  besides  which,  there  are  two  suburbs,  those 
of  St.  John  and  St.  Roche,  where  the  streets  and  houses  are 
much  handsomer  and  more  regularly  built.  The  houses  in 
the  Upper  Town  are  mostly  stone,  and  some  built  of  brick. 
The  old  or  Lower  Town  has  narrow,  dirty,  and  in  many 
parts  steep  streets,  and  buildings  of  inferior  dimensions  ; 
nevertheless,  here  is  the  great  seat  of  business,  and  the  river 
banks  are  lined  with  warehouses  and  wharves,  facilitating 
the  lading  and  unlading  of  the  shipping. 

Return  up  the  St.  Lawrence. 

After  a  refreshing  night's  rest  at  one  of  the  comfortable 
hotels,  where  the  viands  were  excellent,  particularly  the 
salmon,  we  bid  adieu  to  Quebec,  and  once  more  traversed 
the*  noble  St.  Lawrence.  Having  resolved  to  visit  Upper 
Canada,  we  purchased  a  through  ticket  to  Niagara  Falls,  by 
way  of  the  Lachine  Rapids.  Some  Indians  were  on  board 
(with  their  interpreter),  most  of  whom  were  young  men, 
finely  formed,  but  with  repulsive  countenances.  They  had 
with  them  a  considerable  quantity  of  skins,  being  in  the  em 
ploy  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  as  trappers. 
•  The  steamer  that  received  us  was  a  perfect  little  palace, 
having  a  superbly  furnished  saloon,  with  velvet  chairs  and 
sofas,  magnificent  pier-glasses,  piano,  harp,  etc.,  and  a  well- 
appointed  library  of  books,  newspapers,  and  magazines ; 
everything,  in  short,  that  the  most  fastidious  traveller  could 
desire.  The  gentlemanly  captain,  who  headed  the  well-fur 
nished  table,  played  the  host  with  a  dignified  ease  quite 
pleasant  to  witness. 

As  we  are  now  passing  upwards  towards  Niagara,  some 
notice  will  naturally  be  expected  of  the  rapids,  so  character 
istic  of  the  navigation  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  They  come 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  139 

down  with  such  violence,  indeed,  that  some  of  the  worst  can 
not  be  overcome  by  powerful  steamers,  except  with  the  aid 
of  locks.  It  is  a  tedious  process,  this  ;  we  were  fully  six 
hours  in  getting  through  eight  locks,'  which  we  had  to  pass 
in  the  twelve  miles  that  these  rapids  extend.  To  witness 
the  steamboats  passing  down  the  rapids  of  St.  Lawrence 
River,  to  nervous  persons  is  very  bewildering,  the  locomo 
tion  almost  exceeding  the  rate  of  railway  travelling ;  but 
the  quick-sighted,  experienced  pilots  steer  their  vessels  won 
derfully  well  and  safely  through  the  numerous  snags  (or 
stems  and  branches  of  trees  entangled  in  the  stream  channel) 
and  the  many  strong  and  conflicting  currents  that  meet  on 
these  waters. 

As  we  journey  along  in  our  vast  floating  hotel,  let  us 
glance  around  on  our  "  compagnons  de  voyage.'.'  A  miscel 
laneous  group,  indeed,  are  they ;  of  every  class,  from  the 
grazier,  lumber  dealer,  commercial  man,  and  tourist,  to 
ladies  and  gentlemen  from  the  Canadas  and  United  States, 
in  the  mere  pursuit  of  pleasure.  Various  were  the  discus 
sions  of  the  topics  of  passing  events,  which  would  often  lead 
to  high  words,  and  occasionally  continue  so  long  that  chilly 
night,  far  in  advance,  would  warn  the  debaters  to  retire  to 
their  state-rooms.  The  Canadians,  we  found,  as  a  rule,  very 
courteous  and  intelligent  in  their  explanations  to  us  respect 
ing  the  agriculture,  commerce,  and  social  habits  of  their 
country. 


Lake  Ontario  ;  its  Cities  and  its  Thousand  Islands. 

"  And  while  the  vessel  swiftly  flies 
Against  the  stream  —  direct"  his  eyes 
To  rest  on  beauties  which  abound", 
The  rapid  river's  banks  around." 

We  now  entered  the  beautiful,  smooth,  and  glassy- watered 
Lake  Ontario,  the  most  easterly  and  least  elevated  of  the 
great  Canadian  lakes,  though  still  about  two  hundred  and 
thirty  feet  above  the  tide  level  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  It  is 
about  one  hundred  and  seventy  miles  long,  and  near  its  cen 
tre  about  seventy  miles  broad  ;  while  its  depth  is  so  aston 
ishing  as  somewhat  to  exceed  eighty  fathoms,  or  four  huu- 


140  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

dred  and  eighty  feet ;  twenty  feet  more  than  the  height  of  the 
cross  of  St.  Peter's  at  Rome  !  The  sunsets  on  this  magnifi 
cent  sheet  of  water  were  extremely  beautiful ;  the  shape  of 
the  streaks  was  most  peculiar,  and  the  various-tinted  colors, 
blending  one  with  another,  gave  the  effect  of  a  splendid  trans 
parency.  The  lake  is  constantly  traversed  by  brigs,  scows, 
and  schooners,  and  by  large  steamers  plying  between  Toronto 
and  Kingston  in  Canada,  and  Geuesee,  Oswego,  and  Sack- 
ett's  Harbor  in  the  United  States.  Its  banks  are  in  general 
level  and  mostly  covered  with  wood,  though  now  variegated 
by  increased  cultivation.  On  the  Canadian  side,  in  particu 
lar,  the  soil  is  of  remarkable  fertility,  owing  to  the  rotten 
stumps  and  clearings  of  decayed  branches  and  dead  leaves 
from  the  forests,  which  combine  to  form  a  black,  vegetable 
mould  or  loam,  of  profuse  richness. 

In  traversing  Lake  Ontario,  we  passed  within  sight  of 
Brockville,  and  we  also  steamed  through  the  group  of  the  far- 
famed  Thousand  Islands,  which  extend  in  clusters  for  some 
miles,  furnishing  a  series  of  magnificent  views  —  one  suc 
ceeding  another,  and  keeping  the  eye  constantly  engaged  in 
gazing  on  the  rich,  variegated  verdure  and  beautiful  wood 
lands,  with  which  most  of  them  are  covered.  The  steamboat 
companies  always  arrange  to  pass  them  by  daylight,  so  that 
travellers  need  not  fear  disappointment. 

An  anecdote  is  told  in  connection  with  these  islands,  of  & 
gentleman,  who  having  engaged  in  the  Canadian  rebellion, 
had  to  conceal  himself  here  from  the  troops  sent  after  him, 
under  the  late  Gen.  Worth ;  and  during  his  long  concealment 
he  was  regularly  supplied  with  provisions  by  his  heroic 
daughter  Kate,  "who  visited  him  in  her  canoe,  and  has 
acquired  the  name  of  the  "Queen  of  the  Thousand  Islands." 

On  arriving  at  Kingston,  we  changed  steamers  for  Toronto. 
The  harbor  is  excellent,  having  water  deep  enough  for  large 
vessels  to  lie  close  to  the  shore,  and  attached  to  it  is  a  con 
siderable  naval  dockyard.  In  fact,  Kingston  is  quite  a  gar 
risoned  town,  and  has  a  stronghold  named  "  Fort  Henry," 
and  several  companies  of  well-disciplined  British  troops  in 
its  citadel. 

Embarking  on  another  steamer,  we  traversed  about  one 
hundred  and  forty  miles  of  varied  river  and  land  scenery, 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  141 

reached  the  city  of  Toronto,  and  entered  the  deep,  circular 
bay  ;  this  section  of  the  trip  taking  about  sixteen  hours.  We 
had  very  pleasant  company  on  board,  including  some  good 
lady  singers  and  performers  on  the  pianoforte.  Toronto  is, 
on  the  whole,  a  handsome  city  ;  the  streets  are  regularly  laid 
out,  and  the  houses  built  mostly  of  stone. 

We  again  disembarked,  to  proceed  further  westward  in 
another  steamer,  for  Lewiston,  on  the  Niagara  River,  just 
below  the  Falls,  which  town  we  reached  in  a  few  hours,  and 
there  found  coaches  awaiting  our  arrival  to  convey  us  to  the 
railroad  depot,  from  which  a  short  trip  by  the  cars  brought 
us  within  sound  of  the  Cataract,  while  we  could  occasionally 
see  the  spray  rising  like  a  white  mist  in  the  atmosphere. 

Niagara  Falls. 

As  respects  the  Falls,  so  many  persons  have  written,  and 
so  eloquently,  on  this  wonder  of  Nature,  that  one  almost 
despairs  of  any  attempt  at  description ;  yet  as  no  two 
writers  have  ever  described  them  precisely  alike,  we  shall 
humbly  endeavor  to  record  our  impressions  on  viewing  this 
stupendous  spectacle. 

On  first  looking  at  Niagara  Falls,  one  cannot  avoid  a  feel 
ing  that  we  are  here  within  the  precincts  of  God's  holy  work, 
the  glorious  temple  of  the  Great  Living  Spirit ;  and  the 
thought  immediately  following  is  —  how  insignificant,  in 
sight  of  such  a  work  of  the  Divine  Architect,  is  man  and 
all  man's  undertakings  I  The  deafening  roar  of  the  falling 
waters  seemed  to  resolve  itself  into  steady,  stately  sounds 
of  majestic  music,  louder,  grander,  and  more  imposing  than 
could  have  been  elicited  from  all  the  organs  and  orchestras 
in  the  world.  Of  the  beauteous  spray,  one  could  fill  many 
pages  of  description,  so  truly  and  poetically  sublime  does  it 
appear,  as  it  rises  like  a  pure  white  cloud  of  filmy  vapor  and 
assumes  a  variety  of  fantastic  shapes,  ascending  high  into 
the  atmosphere,  every  now  and  then  receiving  the  most 
lovely  and  varied  tints,  as  it  met  the  sun's  rays. 

Cold  indeed  must  the  person  be,  who  can  gaze  on  this  sub 
lime  and  stupendous  cataract  without  being  awe  struck  by 
its  magnificence,  and  gigantic,  indescribable  power.  Nay, 


142  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

even  when  we  see  the  wondrous  velocity  of  the  rapids  imme 
diately  above  the  Falls,  we  shrink  with  apprehension  at  the 
thought  how  soon  these  waters  are  to  rush  down  the  mighty 
chasm,  and,  in  part,  be  dispersed  in  mist. 

Niagara  often  presents  a  variety  of  aspects  :  for  at  one 
time  we  ma}'  see  it  enveloped,  as  it  were,  in,  and  partly 
hidden  by,  the  beauteous  spray  ;  a  moment  after,  it  will  shine 
forth,  fully  revealed  in  the  sunlight ;  and  again  appearing 
covered  with  a  dense  intensity  of  gloom  that  gives  it  the 
semblance  of  a  wild,  tempest-beaten  sea.  In  short,  no  one 
can  look  with  indifference  on  this  majestic  scene,  no  one  turn 
from  it,  without  a  feeling  of  gratitude  that  lie  has  been  per 
mitted  silently  to  worship  his  Creator  in  this  sublime  temple 
of  the  Almighty  power. 

As  some  of  my  readers,  however,  may  prefer  positive 
facts  to  moral  reflections,  we  shall  here  subjoin  a  few  par 
ticulars  which  will  give  some  practical  idea  of  the  stupen 
dous  grandeur  of  these  Falls.  The  Niagara  River  issues 
from  the  eastern  extremity  of  Lake  Erie,  and  after  forming 
several  islands,  one  of  them  twelve  miles  in  length,  and  pur 
suing  a  quite  smooth  course  of  about  thirty-four  miles,  is 
first  propelled  over  a  succession  of  rapids,  having  a  descent 
of  fifty  feet  in  half  a  mile,  and  is  then  precipitated  over  the 
Falls/  which  are  divided  by  an  island  about  five  hundred 
yards  broad,  perched  in  the  very  centre  of  the  cataract,  in 
two  distinct  sheets  of  water,  one  of  which,  on  the  Canadian 
side,  called,  from  its  concave  shape,  the  Horseshoe  Fall,  is 
six  hundred  yards  wide,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty-eight  feet 
deep;  while  the  American  Fall,  on  the  opposite  side,  is 
about  two  hundred  yards  wide,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
four  feet  deep  ;  so  that  the  entire  breadth  of  the  river,  from 
shore  to  shore,  is  about  one  thousand  four  hundred  yards  ; 
and  the  quantity  of  water  hourly  precipitated  into  the  chasm 
beneath  has  been  calculated  at  11,524,400  tons. 

The  depth  of  the  water,  be  it  understood,  is  much  greater 
on  the  Canadian  than  on  the  American  side  ;  and  hence, 
while  the  scarcely  hidden  limestone  rocks  below  the  Ameri 
can  Fall  cause  the  flood  to  be  broken  into  foam,  the  deep- 
green  hue  of  the  billows  beneath  the  Horseshoe  Fall  is  but 
slightly  changed  by  the  crests  of  foam  rising  above  them. 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  143 

Lastly,  the  waters,  immediately  after  their  union  below  the 
cataract,  are  again  contracted  into  a  stream  not  more  than 
one  hundred  and  sixty  yards  wide,  rushing  through  a  deep 
trench,  bounded  by  perpendicular,  rocky  walls,  which  have 
been  cut  by  the  action  of  the  waters  during  the  lapse  of 
many  centuries. 

Some  years  ago,  the  narrator,  on  visiting  Niagara,  had 
the  curiosity  of  a  young  man  to  inspect  the  passageway 
under  the  Horseshoe  Fall.  We  believe  no  visitors  are  allowed 
down  there  now,  as  it  is  fast  closing  up,  and  considered  dan 
gerous  to  explore.  A  spiral  staircase  once  conducted  the 
tourists  under  the  Fall ;  flannel  and  rubber  suits  were  pro 
vided  us  by  the  guides  in  attendance  ;  much  care  had  to  be 
taken,  for"  it  was  attended  with  some  danger,  owing  to  the 
slipperiness  of  the  rocky  ground,  from  the  effects  of  the 
spray,  and  an  unlucky  false  step  would  precipitate  one  into 
the  whirling  gulf  beneath.  We  were  six  in  number,  and  the 
guide  directed  us  to  hold  one  another's  hands  and  face  the 
rock,  having  our  backs  to  the  immense  body  of  the  cataract. 
We  had  not  advanced  far,  before  our  breathing  became  diffi 
cult  and  painful,  from  the  rarefaction  of  the  atmosphere, 
and  though  the  falling  water  in  some  parts  drenched  us  to 
the  skin,  still  we  were  in  a  profuse  perspiration. 

We  walked  very  slowly  sideways  for  some  distance,  till  at 
length  one  of  our  party  was  reported  to  be  fainting  (not  the 
writer),  whereupon  the  guide  instantly  called  upon  us,  with 
stentorian  lungs  (barely  heard,  owing  to  the  roar  of  the 
cataract),  to  halt,  and  return  sideways,  as  we  had  advanced 
without  turning  round.  It  was  a  curious  and  bewildering 
sensation,  being  directly  under  so  many  thousand  tons  of 
water ;  and  when  we  gave  a  confused  and  timid  glance  up 
wards,  we  had  a  strange  and  mingled  fear  and  reverence,  at 
beholding  the  mighty  watery  avalanche.  The  rushing  sound 
of  the  Horseshoe  Fall  is  indeed  most  terrific,  when  heard  in 
close  proximity  to  it ;  and  when  we  emerged  from  the  nar 
row  opening,  we  felt  truly  thankful,  in  spite  of  all  the 
majesty  of  the  spectacle,  that  we  had  escaped  unharmed  from 
under  the  "  Horseshoe." 

As  the  best,  and  indeed  only  simultaneous,  view  of  both 
the  Falls  is  to  be  had  from  about  three  hundred  yards  on  the 


144  HAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

river  below  them,  a  stout  little  steamer,  called  '•  The  Maid 
of  the  Mist,"  used  to  be  brought  into  requisition,  during  the 
season  of  summer,  to  carry  passengers  between  the  Suspen 
sion  Bridge  and  the  Falls.  A  trip  this  way  cannot  fail  of 
proving  interesting,  even  to  those  least  affected  by  the  sub 
limities  of  Nature. 

After  a  short  ride  of  about  two  miles,  stemming  the  rapid 
current,  we  at  length  came  in  full  view  of  the  American  Falls  ; 
after  which  we  were  boldly  steered  to  the  very  mouth  of  the 
Horseshoe  Cataract ;  whence,  after  satisfying*  our  curiosity, 
we  emerged  from  the  enveloping  rainbow-gilded  spray,  and 
then  the  pilot  skilfully  steered' us  back  on  our  homeward 
way.  The  magnificence  of  the  scene,  as  the  gallant  little 
steamer  passed  through  the  filmy  vapor  floating  around  us, 
can  only  be  appreciated  by  those  who  have  witnessed  its 
grandeur.  Water-proof  dresses  are  provided  on  board  for 
the  passengers,  and  many  a  merry  laugh  rings  from  the  young 
men  and  maidens,  as  they  survey  one  another  in  their  'india- 
rubber  disguises. 

The   Niagara   Suspension   Bridge. 

This  stupendous  and  wonderful  structure,  which  spans  the 
rock-enclosed  river  about  two  miles  below  the  Falls,  was  the 
work  of  the  well-known  American  engineer,  Mr.  J.  A. 
Roebling.  of  Trenton,  N.  J.  (of  the  East  River  big  bridge 
fame,  JXew  York).  It  is  suspended  by  wire  ropes,  forming 
a  single  span  of  eight  hundred  feet,  and  has  two  floors,  the 
lower  one  for  the  ordinary  traffic  of  horses  and  teams,  also 
foot  passengers  ;  that  above  for  railway  trains.  The  main, 
cables,  to  which  the  wire  ropes  are  secured,  are  fastened  by 
massive  iron  chains,  sunk  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  into  the 
native  rock,  and  rest  on  cast-iron  saddles,  placed  on  the  tops 
of  the  towers  on  either  side.  These  cables,  of  course,  are 
extremely  strong,  for  it  is  no  uncommon  occurrence  to  see  a 
train  of  heavily  loaded  freight  cars,  covering  the  entire 
bridge  from  end  to  end.  To  construct  any  other  kind  of 
bridge  over  this  deep  and  rapid  stream  would  have  been 
almost  impossible,  and  the  enterprise  was  regarded  as  a 
complete  engineering  triumph. 


KAMBLKS    IX    AM  F.RICA.  145 


Casualties   at   Niagara  Falls. 

One  day,  during  our  visit,  glancing  over  the  then  wooden 
bridge  which  overlooked  the  Horseshoe  Fall,  a  boatman 
came  up  to  the  writer  and  observed:  u  Could  this  bridge 
speak,  what  fearful  tales  it  might  tell !  I  well  remember," 
said  he,  "  a  part}*,  consisting  of  a  gentleman,  his  wife,  and 
little  daughter,  with  a  male  friend,  who  were  looking  over 
this  bridge,  as  you  are  now.  Well,  sir,  this  friend,  in  the 
exuberance  of  his  delight  at  the  splendid  sight  of  the  waters, 
caught  up  the  little  girl,  saying  jestingly,  '  I  will  throw  you 
over' ;  when  the  child,  startled  by  the  sudden  act,  leaped  out 
of  his  arms  into  the  whirling  rapids  beneath.  Instantly,  the 
young  man,  whose  recklessness  had  caused  the  accident, 
jumped  into  the  rushing  tide  with  the  intention  of  saving 
her.  but  in  vain  —  they  were  both  precipitated  over  the 
Horseshoe  Fall.  The  body  of  the  girl  was  found,  with  the 
head  frightfully  crushed  between  two  rocks,  about  a  couple 
of  miles  below  the  cataract.  The  young  man's  body  was 
never  found.  Alas,  sir,"  said  the  tender-hearted  fellow, 
44  this  calamity  shed  a  melancholy  gloom  for  weeks  over  the 
neighborhood  " 

"  And  well  it  might,"  thought  the  writer.  The  sufferings 
of  the  parents  must  have  been  beyond  expression,  when  they 
beheld  their  darling  child  whirled  about  in  the  eddies  of  the 
terrible  rapids,  and  after  giving,  perhaps,  one  last  look,  and 
uttering  one  half -stifled  death-scream,  was  borne  over  the 
cataract,  and  parted  from  them  forever.  Yet  not  forever, 
let  us  hope  ;  her  sainted  soul  doubtless  awaits  in  heaven  a 
glad  reunion  with  those  from  whom  she  was,  by  so  dreadful 
a  visitation,  severed  on  earth. 


Farewell  to   Niagara   Falls. 

The  time  which  we  had  resolved  to  enjoy  the  wild  glories 
of  Niagara  having  come  to  a  close,  we  took  a  last,  lingering, 
fond,  farewell  look  at  its  fascinating  waters,  and  thought  of 
those  beautiful  words  of  Charles  Mackay  :  — 

"Mighty  Niagara,  whose  voice  we  hear 
Bursting  in  thunder,  loud,  sublime,  and  clear, 


146  K  AMBLES    IX    A3!  ERIC  A. 

Thy  glorious  waters,  like  an  ocean  hurled 
From  the  blue  heaven  to  overflow  the  world, 
Fill  us  with  wonder,  as  we  stand  afar, 
Humbled  to  think  how  small  and  mean  we  are  ; 
And  as  they  rush,  and  foam,  and  burst,  and  roll, 
They  speak  high  language  to  the  awe-struck  soul.'' 

Captain  Webb's   fate    at    Niagara. 

In  the  death  of  this  noted  diver  and  swimmer,  the  world 
has  lost  one  of  its  most  rashly  brave  men.  The  venturesome 
hero,  who  buffeted  his  weary  way  across  the  English  Chan 
nel  to  the  French  coast,  and  accomplished  many  other  feats, 
at  last  falls  an  easy  victim  to  the  vast  rapids  of  America's 
rushing  waters.  It  almost  seems  as  if  poor  Webb  became 
like  some  of  the  famed  generals  of  old,  who  wept  because 
there  were  no  more  worlds  to  conquer ;  and  our  brave  swim 
mer  and  rescuer  of  lives,  after  doing  unheard-of  trials  of 
strength  and  endurance  in  the  water,  must  needs  try  to  wage 
war  against  the  great  rapids  and  whirlpools  of  Niagara. 
The  death-plunge  was  made  in  July,  1883,  before  a  small 
number  of  incredulous  spectators ;  the  deed  seemed  to  be 
done  in  defiance  of  railway  companies  and  hotel-keepers, 
who  tauntingly  snid  that  Capt.  Webb  did  not  mean  what  he 
proposed  doing.  The  finding  of  the  body,  mutilated  and 
bruised  though  it  was,  became  a  matter  of  solace  to  the  be 
reaved  wife,  and  a  source  of  great  satisfaction  to  the  de 
ceased  man's  friends,  as  reports  began  to  be  circulated  of 
the  adventurer's  landing  and  hiding  somewhere,  for  a  mone 
tary  sensation. 

Since  the  death  of  Capt.  Webb,  many  foolhardy  leaps 
and  plunges  in  the  rapids  of  Niagara  have  been  attempted, 
with  various  results;  the  most  notable  of  all,  up  to  the 
present  date,  September,  1881), —  and  said  to  eclipse  all  the 
others,  —  were  Graham  in  his  barrel  and  Steve  Brodie  in  his 
rubber  suit,  both  of  whom  claim  to  have  gone  over  the 
Horseshoe  Fall,  and  were  picked  out  of  the  seething  waters 
in  an  insensible  condition. 

After  leaving  Niagara  Falls  and  its  attractions,  we  pro 
ceeded  by  the  New  York  &  Erie  Railway  (Albany  branch), 
eastward.  The  first  and  largest  pla'ce  at  which  we  stopped, 
on  our  way  to  Albany,  was  Buffalo,  a  busy  lake  port  and 


RAMBLES    IX    AMERICA.  147 

commercial  entrepot,  with  a  large  population  and  vast,  in 
creasing  trade  ;  and  we  afterwards  passed  through  Roches 
ter,  Syracuse,  Rome,  and  many  other  towns,  arriving  at 
Albany  in  the  forenoon.  Albany,  as  most  of  my  readers 
know,  is  the  capital  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  one  of 
the  oldest  settled  cities  in  the  Union.  It  stands  on  very 
uneven  ground,  rising  from  the  right  bank  of  the  Hudson  to 
the  height  of  more  than  two  hundred  feet,  and  is,  on  the 
whole,  a  well-built  city,  having,  among  other  public  edifices, 
a  Capitol,  at  the  top  of  the  principal  street,  and  near  it  the 
City  Hall  and  State  Hall,  the  first  and  last  of  which  are  the 
seats  of  the  legislative  and  executive  authorities  of  the 
State  of  New  York.  The  railway  and  Hudson  River  traffic 
between  Albany  and  New  York  City  is  very  extensive. 

Saratoga,   and   its   Visitors. 

To  have  been  so  near  Saratoga,  and  yet  not  visit  it,  would 
be  like  presenting  the  play  of  "  Hamlet,"  omitting  the 
character  of  the  royal  Dane,  especially  as  it  was  the  very 
height  of  the  fashionable  season.  A  pleasant  ride  of  some 
thirty  miles  took  us  to  the  place,  which  is  charmingly  situated 
in  a  champaign  country,  skirted  by  hills,  intersected  by 
streams  and  lakes,  and  presenting  occasionally  some  very 
beautiful,  romantic  scenery. 

Historically,  Saratoga  claims  an  interest  as  being  the  place 
near  which,  during  the  Revolutionary  War,  Gen.  Burgoyne 
and  his  troops  were  obliged  (Oct.  17,  1777)  to  surrender  to 
Gen.  Gates,  the  American  commander.  Its  present  celebrity 
and  popularity  are  due  to  the  saline  and  chalybeate  springs 
in  the  vale  just  below  the  town,  the  waters  of  which  are  in 
high  repute,  both  for  renovating  the  over-taxed  or  inert  sys 
tem  and  curing  many  descriptions  of  inveterate  disease. 

Fine  hotels,  with  beautiful  attached  gardens,  and  numer 
ous  excellent  boarding-houses  are  to  be  found  here.  From 
July  to  September  a  living  stream  of  persons  visit  here  in  the 
season,  including  many  of  the  elite  of  wealth,  fashion,  and 
beauty,  from  every  part  of  the  Union,  besides  many  of  every 
grade  of  rank  and  variety  of  character.  In  fact,  at  Saratoga 
the  traveller  may  see  the  strangely  characteristic  and  strongly 


148  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

contrasted  features  of  the  whole  country  brought  before  him 
at  a  single  view,  and  study  the  varying' characters  of  differ 
ent  States  under  singularly  advantageous  conditions.  We 
question,  however,  whether  any  other  continent  could  pro 
duce  a  larger  assemblage  of  well-dressed  and  polite-mannered 
men,  or  a  brighter  array  of  feminine  beauty,  than  the  salons 
and  gardens  of  Saratoga.  The  ladies  of  the  South,  like  their 
sisters  of  the  North,  are  in  most  part  celebrated  for  their 
symmetry  of  form  and  regularity  of  features. 

Return  to   New   York,   down   the    Hudson. 

On  our  return  to  Albaii}',  we  took  passage  in  one  of  those 
fine  floating  palaces,  propelled  by  steam,  which  navigate  the 
Hudson  River,  between  that  city  and  New  York.  This  river, 
called  "The  Rhine  of  America,"  is  constantly  traversed  by 
steam  vessels,  and  tugs  conveying  small  craft.  Its  length 
up  to  Troy  (six  miles  above  Albany)  is  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles.  Its  breadth,  near  Albany,  is  rather  less  than  a  mile  ; 
but  below  the  heights,  called  4kThe  Palisades,"  it  widens 
•considerably,  and  is  nearly  three  miles  wide  at  its  entrance 
into  New  York  harbor.  As  for  its  scenery,  nothing  will  sur 
pass  the  beauty  of  the  landscapes  presenting  themselves  on 
either  side  of  the  banks  —  lofty,  bold-looking  mountains  here  ; 
round,  well-wooded  hills  there ;  and  anon  fertile  valleys 
stretching  for  miles  upon  miles  on  either  side  of  the  stream. 
In  fact,  the  eye  never  tires  of  such  charming  prospects  as 
these.  Hither  retire  the  wealthy,  the  learned,  and  the  fash 
ionable  of  America ;  nor  can  we  conceive  a  more  delightful 
abode  than  one  of  those  elegant  and  picturesque  villas  which 
dot  its  banks. 

The  calm  retirement  and  the  sylvan  beauties  of  this 
romantic  neighborhood  make  it  indeed  a  most  welcome  re 
treat,  equally  for  the  retired,  wealthy  citizen,  the  successful 
poet,  and  the  true  lover  of  Nature  ;  besides,  the  constant 
passing  up  and  down  of  the  many  steamboats  and  shipping 
.gives  a  liveliness  that  adds  not  a  little  to  the  charms  of  this 
beautiful  river. 


AMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  149 


New   York   Revisited. 

In  the  earlier  sojourn  of  the  narrator  to  the  Empire  City, 
many  years  ago,  New  York  was  a  more  primitive  city  than 
at  the  present  time.  To  explain  the  rapid  growth  of  this 
"bewildering  metropolis  of  1,700,000  souls  (in  the  census  of 
1890)  would  certainly  fill  a  volume  of  its  own  ;  and  as  many 
competent  writers  have  already  graphically  described  the 
emporium  of  all  nationalities,  in  its  progress,  suffice  it  to  say, 
we  shall  briefly  confine  ourselves  to  what  came  immediately 
under  our  notice,  between  the  periods  of  the  first  and  second 
visits  to  this  country.  The  palatial  steamers  plying  from 
Fall  River  through  the  Sound  to  New  York  are  so  well  known 
that  a  description  is  superfluous,  except,  as  it  may  be,  on  a 
crowded  evening,  such  as  the  writer  of  these  sketches  wit 
nessed,  New-Year's  Day  of  1884,  when  friends  were  returning 
to  their  city  homes,  after  visiting  their  country  cousins  in 
New  England.  All  the  state-rooms  were  sold,  days  before 
sailing  ;  consequently,  sleeping-berths  were  in  great  demand  ; 
the  remainder  of  the  passengers  had  to  lie  on  mattresses 
on  the  saloon  floor,  or  quietly  doze  in  arm-chairs  and  lounges 
all  night.  Not  being  able  to  get  a  state-room,  a  berth  was 
secured  in  time,  the  middle  one  of  a  tier  of  three.  A  tired 
man  can  congratulate  himself,  on  finding  a  resting  place  at 
last ;  soon,  however,  a  climbing  sound  was  heard,  of  a  per 
son  reaching  the  upper  berth ;  and  as  the  unwieldy  body 
attempted  to  lie  down,  the  narrator's  alarm  began,  and  sleep 
was  almost  out  of  the  question ;  for  every  time  the  heavy, 
fleshy  man  in  the  upper  sleeping  compartment  moved  rest 
lessly,  in  changing  his  position,  the  lath  supports  of  the 
narrow  bed  strained,  bulged,  and  bent,  as  if  the  big  creature's 
weight  would  assuredly  break  down  the  couch  on  the  alarmed 
sleeper  below.  However,  drowsiness  overcame  the  fidgety 
passenger  at  last,  the  lath  slats  returned  to  their  proper 
place,  and  the  danger  was  over. 

But  as  the  noise  of  the  machinery,  and  the  smell  of  the 
supper  and  breakfast  preparations  are  not  very  conducive  to 
sleep,  weary  as  one  was,  we  thought  it  best  to  arise  at  early 
morn  and  made  for  the  deck,  stepping  over  sleeping  way 
farers  in  the  saloon.  We  may  add,  that  a  trip  in  the  mag- 


150  KAMBLES    IX    AMERICA. 

nificeut  palace  steamer  "  Pilgrim,"  in  the  summer  time,  is 
enjoyable  ;  the  huge  vessel  is  colossal  in  size,  elegant  in  all 
its  appointments,  and  with  electric  lights  everywhere,  state 
rooms  included.  The  cost  of  this  magnificent  vessel  must 
have  been  immense.  The  band  of  the  steamer  discourses 
sweet  sounds  on  the  balmy  air,  those  pleasant  evenings  in 
the  season. 

To  return  to  our  rambles.  On  gaining  the  promenade 
deck,  and  fresh,  pure  air  and  breeze,  we  found  we  were 
approaching  near  u  Hell  Gate,"  a  well-known  rocky  section 
of  the  East  River,  the  danger  of  which  is  every  year  becom 
ing  less,  by  the  skilful  engineering  of  blasting  the  rocky  beds 
and  widening  the  channel  of  this  great  commercial  river  high 
way.  Soon  innumerable  lamps  began  to  appear  in  the  long- 
streets  near  the  river's  edge,  most  of  which  were  the  renowned 
electric  lights,  some  of  the  wharves  having  the  same  power 
ful  luminaries  ;  and  when  we  sailed  past  Castle  Garden  a 
perfect  blaze  of  electric  orbs  appeared  in  circle,  all  around 
the  landing  stages  connecting  therewith  ;  the  sight  of  this 
modern  innovation  of  years  ago  seems  to  strike  a  beholder 
very  much.  The  thronged  thoroughfares,  Broadway  and 
Bowery,  and  other  prominent  business  streets,  share  their 
appreciation  of  this  wonderful  luminary  of  modern  times  ;  all 
is  bright,  of  a  steely,  sepulchral  look,  where  light  is  needed, 
while  the  side  avenues  are  almost  in  darkness,  from  the 
reflected  old  style  of  gas  and  oil  lamps,  the  contrast  being 
very  noticeable.  All  the  principal  public  buildings,  large 
hotels,  and  newly  erected  theatres,  utilize,  where  they  can, 
this  modern  light  of  electricity. 

In  company  with  friends,  we  spent  many  pleasant  hours 
at  the  first-rate  performances  given  at  Union  Square,  Mad 
ison  Square,  Standard,  and  Wallack's  theatres,  while  the 
better  class  of  instrumental  music-halls  seem  to  try  to  outdo 
each  other  in  their  really  excellent  concerts  and  decorative 
buildings  of  amusement. 

While  on  the  subject  of  opera,  Col.  Maplesoa  has  the  last 
few  years  done  much  at  the  Academy  of  Music  and  else 
where  for  the  better  elevation  of  singing  and  operatic  instru 
mental  performances.  Such  a  brilliant  array  of  names  of 
first-class  singers  as  Madames  Marimon,  Gerster,  Marie 


KAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  151 

Roze,  Annie  Cary,  Minnie  Hauk,  Patti,  Nilsson,  Leblache, 
Emma  Nevada,  Scalchi,  Fur sch- Madi,  etc  ,  with  Signors 
Campanini,  Ravelli,  Nicoliui,  Gassier,  Giannini,  Serbolini, 
and  many  other  talented  artists,  added  to  which  a  full  and 
efficient  chorus  and  splendid  baud  of  nearly  one  hundred 
instrumental  performers,  under  the  able  leadership  of  the 
conductor,  Sig.  Arditi,  —  speaks  volumes  for  the  rich  treat 
of  classical  operatic  music  the  New  Yorkers  and  other  large 
cities  of  the  Union  were  blessed  with,  during  the  four  winter 
seasons.  Col.  Mapleson  kept  his  word  with  the  directors  of 
the  Academy  of  Music,  when  he  said  he  would  bring  the 
best  available  talent  in  the  world  to  this  country;  the  truly 
fine  voices  of  the  artists  have  been  heard  to  the  echo  by 
many  thousands  of  all  classes,  who  nightly  testified  their 
appreciation  of  these  operatic  performances,  and  justified  by 
their  plaudits  the  success  of  the  enterprise. 

The  new  innovations  of  modern  times  to  an  absentee  from 
New  York  are  the  elevated  railroads  ;  trains  drawn  by  smart 
little  engines  run  every  few  minutes  throughout  the  day,  and 
on  Third  Avenue  all  night.  The  rush  and  turmoil  of  this 
elevated  transit  is  bewildering  to  a  non-resident  of  a  large 
and  bustling  city ;  passengers  can  scarcely  get  in  or  out  of 
cars  with  safety,  when  the  signal  is  given,  and  the  pant 
ing  locomotive  is  off  again,  a  few  blocks  further,  to  the 
next  station  ;  in  fact,  it  is  all  commencing  and  stopping. 
The  system  of  air  brakes  must  be  very  forcible,  for  the 
whole  of  the  cars  will  be  in  full  motion,  one  moment,  then  as 
suddenly  come  to  a  dead  halt.  Some  sad  and  fatal  accidents 
happen  occasionally  through  this  indiscriminate  hurry  and 
bustle.  Great  as  the  conveniences  are  to  the  suburban^  resi 
dents,  one  almost  questions  whether  the  remedy  is  not 
worse  than  the  disease,  when  we  see  really  fine  properties 
in  a  manner  sacrificed  by  the  near  proximity  of  the  unsightly, 
elevated  stanchion  roads ;  and  then  the  horrid  noise,  night 
and  day,  of  everlasting,  passing  trains ;  added  to  which,  the 
red-hot  cinders  occasionally  dropping  down  on  the  sidewalks, 
as  it  is  on  the  Bowery  elevated  railway,  is  enough  to  sicken 
some  people  of  modern  improvements. 

The  Sixth  Ave'nue  elevated  railway  takes  the  traveller 
from  the  Battery,  down  town,  to  155th  Street,  up  town,  for 


RAMBLES    IX    AMERICA. 

the  fare  of  five  cents.  Having  a  call  to  make  up  town,  we 
went  the  whole  extent  of  the  Sixth  Avenue  line  of  elevated 
cars  to  155th  Street,  then  changed  to  another  company's 
cars  across  the  bridge  over  the  Harlem  River.  On  alighting 
at  the  depot  of  High  Bridge,  we  walked  up  the  steep  incline 
on  to  the  high  level  of  the  bridge,  from  the  summit  of  which 
we  had  an  uninterrupted  view  of  the  still  water  of  the  frozen 
river  for  miles,  as  it  lay,  calm  and  still,  in  its  icy  bed  ;  for  it 
was  January,  1883.  when  everything  was  frozen  far  and 
wide,  and  the  curious  stillness  of  all  craft,  steamers  and 
sloops,  embedded,  as  they  were,  in  the  icy  embrace  of  this 
favorite  stream,  was  peculiar.  The  contrast  of  these  chilling 
surroundings  on  this  cold  morning  was  very  great,  when  one 
remembered  having  sailed  on  the  Harlem  River,  the  previous 
Fourth  of  July,  when  the  tidal  stream  was  literally  alive  with 
passenger  boats,  excursion  steamers,  sailing  craft^etc.,  of  all 
sizes,  and  the  air  resounding  with  the  laughter  and  joyous- 
ness  of  the  holiday  makers ;  but  in  midwinter,  except  for 
the  merry  sleigh-bells  of  the  distant  teams,  the  stillness  and 
solitude  that  pervaded  this  lonely  but  beautiful  locality  was 
almost  deathlike.  As  the  poet  properly  says  :  — 

"  No  noise  is  here,  or  none  that  hinders  thought ; 
The  redbreast  warbles  still,  but  is  content 
With  slender  notes,  and  more  than  half  suppressed : 
Pleased  with  his  solitude  and  flitting  light." 

East  River   Suspension  Bridge. 

Crossing  from  New  York  City  to  Brooklyn  by  ferry-boat, 
the  traveller  has  a  fine  opportunity  of  viewing  one  of  the 
greatest  engineering  triumphs  of  the  world,  —  the  connecting 
link  between  two  great  and  rising  cities,  by  its  famed  sus 
pension  bridge.  This  really  stupendous  undertaking  is  a 
remarkable  structure  in  its  great  vastness  and  power.  Most 
visitors  to  New  York  have  seen  this  marvel  of  modern  times. 

The  big  bridge  was  formally  opened  on  May  24,  1883  (the 
birthday  of  Queen  Victoria,  as  it  happened),  by  President 
Arthur,  assisted  by  Mayor  Low,  of  Brooklyn,  Mayor  Edson, 
of  New  York,  Gov.  Cleveland,  and  quite  a  procession  of 
aldermen,  common  councilmeu,  and  other  civil  magnates  of 
both  cities  who  took  part  in  the  opening  ceremonies.  Over 


RAMBLES    IX    AMERICA.  153 

a  million  of  people  are  supposed  to  have  been  present  on  this 
auspicious  day.  The  original  architect  and  engineer  was 
Mr.  John  A.  Roebling,  of  Trenton,  N.  J.,  who  met  his  death 
by  an  accident,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Col.  W.  A. 
Roebling,  who,  with  a  staff  of  engineers,  carried  out  the 
-colossal  project.  Thus  the  day  for  which  Brooklyn  and  New 
York  had  waited  so  many  years,  was  fully  realized,  with 
every  success.  The  hundreds  of  thousands  of  persons  who 
have  passed  over  the  bridge  from  1883  to  1890  can  testify  to 
the  magnificent  promenade,  driveway,  and  cable-car  road, 
and  the  superb  panoramic  view  of  East  and  North  rivers, 
with  their  ever-moving  marine  parade  of  vessels  from  all 
climes.  In  the  six  years  of  storm  and  sunshine  the  big  bridge 
has  stood  all  tests  of  weather,  a  remarkable  tribute  to  the 
skilful  engineering  staff. 

As  the  East  River  suspension  bridge  becomes  a  u  nine 
days'  wonder,"  we  shall  ever  remember  the  pluck  and  energy 
of  the  promoters  of  this  vast  work,  in  the  achievement  of  the 
truly  bold  and  costly  enterprise,  who,  amidst  innumerable 
obstacles,  have  conquered  forthwith.  Fourteen  millions  of 
dollars,  it  is  said,  the  bridge  cost,  and  about  eighteen  years' 
time  was  required  for  its  constiuction,  as  the  work  of  the 
approaches  from  both  sides  of  the  river  were  of  great  magni 
tude,  and  the  dangerous  labor  of  sinking  caissons,  building 
towers,  and  stretching  cables  was  a  consummation  of  a  work 
the  world  has  seldom  seen,  for  magnitude  and  for  splendid 
engineering  skill,  aided  by  a  band  of  sturdy  employees  of 
first-rate  courage  and  daring.  The  eminent  divine.  Rev.  De 
Witt  Talma ge,  has  lectured  very  oratorically  of  this  bridge. 

The  three  days'  celebration  in  New  York,  in  April,  1889, 
to  commemorate  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the 
inauguration  of  Washington  as  President,  will  long  be 
remembered  by  New  Yorkers  and  the  myriads  of  visitors 
assembled  to  witness  the  colossal  parade"  of  troops,  naval 
brigades,  secret  societies,  and  trades  processions  of  miles  in 
length,  taking  seven  hours  to  pass  a  given  point.  The  fes 
tivities  commenced  with  a  naval  review  of  men-of-war,  down 
to  the  miniature  steam-tug  with  its  shrill  whistle, — vessels 
of  all  sizes  formed  in  line.  President  Harrison,  assisted  by 
Ex-President  Cleveland  and  Governors  of  States,  all  did 


154  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

homage  of  inspection  to  this  pageant  and  those  of  following 
days.  The  New  York  anrl  Brooklyn  policemen  had  an 
arduous  time  of  it  in  Irving  to  keep  the  swaying  crowd  in 
order.  The  decorations  of  flags  and  bunting  were  very  pro 
fuse  all  over  the  city,  and  the  hotel-keepers  and  others 
reaped  a  good  harvest  during  the  celebration.  It  would  be 
a  difficult  task  to  calculate  the  innumerable  glasses  of  lager 
beer  that  were  consumed  on  those  fatiguing  days  ;  but  the 
week's  loss  of  business  must  have  been  serious  items  to  many 
struggling  merchants  and  store-keepers,  as  trade,  except  that 
of  eating  and  drinking,  was  totally  suspended. 

The  city  of  Brooklyn  at  last  census,  June,  1890,  gives 
800,000  as  its  population. 

New   York   Churches. 

During  the  writer's  stay  in  1882  of  some  twelve  months  in 
the  Empire  City,  he  had  full  opportunities  of  visiting  the 
various  churches  therein.  Among  so  many  sacred  edifices  of 
every  denomination,  with  their  vast  array  of  eloquent  preach 
ers,  it  would  be  invidious  to  select  any  special  one  out  of  its 
number  as  paramount  to  the  others  ;  suffice  it  to  say,  a  few 
words  about  two  or  three  of  the  most  prominent  of  the 
Episcopal  and  other  churches  may  not  prove  uninteresting  to 
my  readers. 

Trinity  Church  is  a  fine  old  architectural  edifice,  situated 
in  the  lower  part  of  Broadway  (a  few  hundred  yards  from  the 
magnificent  block  of  buildings,  the  New  York  post-office), 
and  presided  over  by  a  very  able  and  estimable  divine,  Dr. 
Dix.  Easter  Sunday  and  Christmas  Day  are  gala  times  in 
"'  Old  Trinity."  A  sight  not  easily  forgotten  is  seen  here  on 
those  particular  days  of  religious  rejoicing ;  the  altar  and 
chancel  are  literally  embedded  in  flowers  and  sacred  decora 
tions  ;  thousands  of  well-dressed  people  crowd  up  all  the 
aisles,  avenues,  and  approaches,  the  pews,  of  course,  being 
inconveniently  filled  at  an  early  hour ;  and  as  the  mob  of 
sight-seers  sway  hither  and  thither,  in  their  efforts  to  get  a 
foothold  in  the  edifice,  the  grand,  swelling  sound  of  the  mag 
nificent  organ  is  heard,  and  the  distant  voices  of  the  white - 
robed  choristers  chanting  from  the  sacristy,  as  they  walk  in 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  155 

procession  of  twos  to  their  places  in  the  chancel,  when  the 
full  melody  of  their  fine  voices  is  heard  to  advantage,  accom 
panied  by  the  powerful  strains  of  the  organ  ;  it  is  an  occasion 
of  great  feeling  and  religious  fervor.  The  large  overflow 
gathering  of  worshippers  remain  patiently  in  their  standing 
position,  listening  to  the  eloquent  preaching  of  the  pastor, 
Dr.  Dix. 

Before  the  morning  service  commences,  the  sonorous  tones 
of  the  fine  chime  of  bells  is  heard  on  the  above-mentioned 
clays  to  much  advantage,  and  they  pour  forth  with  their  iron 
tongues  a  glowing  melody  of  sacred  song,  with  much  sweet 
ness  of  expression,  reminding  one  of  years  gone  bv,  when 
the  distant  church-bells  of  old  English  towns  and  hamlets 
used  to  burst  on  the  biographer's  ears,  while  strolling  along 
the  banks  of  the  liver  Thames,  near  Oxford  or  Eton  colleges. 

Farther  up  Broadway,  near  Union  Square,  is  Grace 
Church,  quite  a  superior,  Episcopalian  denomination,  very 
genteel  church,  and  exceedingly  English  in  many  of  its 
ways,  and  most  of  the  congregation  are  very  rich."  Grace 
Church  has  had  several  munificent  bequests  left  by  the  aged 
members  of  this  edifice,  some  of  whom  seem  to  vie  with  one 
another  as  to  how  large  a  sum  can  be  expended  on  new 
church  vestries  and  similar  enlargements  and  improvements. 
Many  of  the  worshippers'  carriages  and  fine  horses,  richly 
caparisoned,  with  the  well-clothed  attendant  coachmen  and 
footmen,  in  their  Jong  overcoats,  all  obsequious  to  their  rich 
employers,  are  thoroughly  "London"  in  the  upper  classes. 
Also  the  driving  up  to  the  church  doors,  with  a  dashing  pair  of 
bays  curvetting  and  prancing,  the  footman  jumps  down  from 
the  box  seat,  opens  the  brougham  door,  and  stands  immov 
able  till  his  master  or  mistress  disappears  out  of  sight,  shuts 
the  door  with  a  bang,  rejoins  the  coachman,  who  whips  up  his 
horses  to  the  neighboring  mews  of  Murray  Hill  or  elsewhere. 

But  let  us  follow  the  owners  of  the  equipage  into  the 
vestibule  of  Grace  Church,  where  we  observe  the  word 
'  silence  "  conspicuously  placed  on  the  walls  of  the  entrance 
hall ;  and  certainly  a  solemnity  seems  to  reign  supreme  in 
this  sacred  place,  with  its  fine  architectural  proportions  and 
artistic  stained-glass  windows,  and  .quite  a  subdued  light 
within  A  choir  of  four  voices,  a  very  superior  quartet, 


156  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

supposed  to  be  as  good  as  any  in  the  State,  are  here,  and  the 
singing  of  the  soprano  was  indeed  splendid ;  also  the  other 
three  singers  in  their  particular  parts  were  equal  to  any 
church  soloists  to  be  met  with.  Where  there  is  good  sacred 
singing,  one  invariably  finds  excellent  organ  accompaniment ; 
such  was  the  case  in  this  place.  The  rector,  Rev.  Dr. 
Henry  C.  Potter,  is  well  known  to  New  Yorkers,  and  many 
others  outside  of  the  Empire  State,  as  a  gentleman  of  great 
eloquence  and  ability  ;  his  fine  intonation  and  modulation  of 
voice  are  irresistible  ;  added  to  which,  his  commanding  pres 
ence,  in  or  out  of  the  pulpit,  carries  his  listeners  with  him  in 
his  brilliant  discourses  of  religious  teaching.  On  Saturday, 
Oct.  20,  1883,  such  an  assemblage  took  place  in  Grace 
Church  as  is  seldom  witnessed  in  our  plain  times  of  church 
history,  to  behold  the  consecration  of  the  Rev.  H.  C.  Potter 
to  the  office  of  Assistant  Bishop  of  the  diocese  of  New  York. 
The  ceremonies  were  very  imposing,  and  participated  in  by 
forty  bishops  and  over  six  hundred  clergymen.  Such  an 
array  of  ecclesiastics  was  enough  to  turn  the  head  of  the 
young,  newly  consecrated  Bishop  Potter,  by  the  sight  of  so 
many  surpliced  brethren. 

New  York  Catholic  Cathedral. 

Among  the  many  fine  church  edifices  in  the  metropolis, 
the  lately  erected  Catholic  cathedral  is  perhaps  the  finest  in 
America.  The  architectural  beauty  of  the  whole  building 
is  almost  unsurpassed  on  this  continent ;  the  expensive  and 
artistic  masonry  work  of  figure  cutting  must  have  cost  im 
mense  sums  of  money,  while  the  interior  is  most  gorgeous  in 
design  and  decoration  ;  the  beautiful  arch  and  groined  roof, 
down  to  the  tesselated  pavement,  were  all  in  keeping  with  the 
sacredness  and  solemness  of  the  structure.  We  observed 
many  very  fine  paintings,  some  of  great  size,  executed  by 
old  and  modern  artists.  The  afternoon  vespers  being  about 
to  commence,  our  party  were  courteously  conducted  to  a  pew, 
where  we  listened  to  a  very  excellent  and  sensible  sermon 
by  the  officiating  priest,  interspersed  by  some  good  singing 
by  the  choristers,  aided  by  a  band  of  instrumental  musicians 
and.  some  other  singers  from  the  galleiy.  This  cathedral  is 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  157 

worthy  a  visit  to  the  stranger  in  the  city,  and  also  its  being 
situated  in  one  of  the  leading  thoroughfares,  up  town,  and 
adjacent  to  Central  Park,  commends  its  attractiveness  ;  for 
the  pleasant  walks  and  drives  in  and  around  the  park 
are  charming  in  fine  weather.  The  beautiful  green  verdure 
of  the  grassy  lawns  is  seen  to  great  advantage  here,  while 
an  inspection  of  the  menagerie  of  all  kinds  of  animals  and 
birds  is  also  worthy  attention. 

New  York  Confidence  Men,  and  their  Victims. 

The  writer  of  these  rambles  recently  having  occasion  to 
visit  New  York,  will,  as  concisely  as  possible,  relate  an  expe 
rience  with  two  confidence  men,  as  a  warning  to  others  who 
may  travel  around.  Though  an  occasional  visitor  to  New 
York,  yet  one's  appearance  must  have  attracted  these  would- 
be  sharpers.  On  emerging  from  my  hotel,  satchel  in  hand, 
and  passing  along  City  Hall  Place,  near  lower  Broadway,  a 
pleasant-spoken,  smiling  man  accosted  me,  and  said,  "  How 
do  you  do,  Capt.  Shaw?  I  am  so  glad  to  see  you,"  and  other 
fulsome  compliments.  Now,  as  I  never  had  the  honor  of 
holding  the  rank  of  captain,  I  smiled,  and  said  my  name  was 
not  Capt.  Shaw,  and  that  he  was  mistaken.  The  fellow 
declared  he  was  not  mistaken.  I  indignantly  and  foolishly 
fell  into  his  trap,  by  saying,  u  My  name  is  not  Shaw,  but 
Pairpoint,  of  New  Bedford."  Then  the  stranger  was  very 
profuse  in  his  apologies  for  his  mistake,  bowed  and  left 
me.  I  had  forgotten  the  encounter,  when  some  quarter  of 
an  hour  afterwards,  in  quite  another  part  of  the  city,  a  taller 
stranger  rushes  up  to  me,  smiling  and  beaming,  calls  me  by 
name,  shakes  hands,  and  inquires  how  all  were  in  New  Bed 
ford,  how  business  was,  and  that  he  once  lived  there,  and 
would  I  oblige  him  by  taking  some  samples  of  cloth  to  New 
Bedford  to  friends  of  his.  As  he  pleaded  so  strongly,  and 
seemed  so  earnest  to  do  Business,  I  finally  consented  to  take 
the  samples  ;  but  lo,  he  had  not  them  with  him  ;  they  were  at 
his  office  just  around  the  corner!  Before  I  had  realized  the 
situation,  he  had  stopped  a  horse-car  and  we  both  entered, 
as  it  was  raining  heavily.  My  good-natured  friend  paid  the 
fare  for  both  of  us  ;  and  then,  as  if  an  inspiration  came  over 


158  RAMBLES    IX    AMERICA. 

me,  I  thought  rapidly  and  with  some  consternation,  u  I  am 
in  the  hands  of  '  confidence  men  ' ;  and  once  in  their  clutches 
in  some  saloon  den,  my  life  will  not  be  worth  much,  unless 
I  freely  give  up  all  my  money  at  the  mockery  of  a  game 
at  cards  with  other  confederates  of  the  gang?'  Quick  as 
thought  I  returned  the  ten  cents  to  the  fellow  (for  car  ride), 
who,  in  a  faltering  voice,  as  he  apparently  saw  "his  little 
game  was  up,"  asked,  "Why  pay  me?"  ^Rising  from  my 
seat  and  fronting  him,  I  answered,  "If  you  want  to  know 
why,  I  will  tell  you  ;  but  advise  you  not  to  ask  a  second 
time."  Stopping  the  car  at  once,  in  a  loud  tone  of  voice, 
so  that  the  other  passengers  could  hear,  I  inquired  of  the 
conductor  if  he  knew  the  man  who  sat  next  to  me.  He 
answered,  "  No."  "  Anyway,"  I  said,  "  do  not  let  him  out 
for  a  few  moments,  for  if  he  follows  me,  I  will  have  him 
arrested."  I  alighted,  and  pursued  my  way  unmolested,  yet 
with  some  misgivings  of  being  waylaid  by  some  of  the  con 
fidence  thieving  crowd. 

I  take  the  libedyy  of  recounting  this  experience  to  my 
readers  of  an  attempt  in  broad  daylight  at  extortionate  rob 
bery  by  a  gang  of  men  who,  when  successful,  fatten  on  their 
victims  by  this  system  of  confidence  extortion,  when  in  the 
villains'  power. 

A  more  suave,  polite-appearing  class  is  scarcely  to  be  met 
with  than  these  scouts  of  a  den  of  thieves,  who  infest  all 
large  cities,  and  waylay  the  unwary.  Having  travelled  ex 
tensively,  the  world  over,  I  do  not  know  how  I  came  almost 
to  fall  into  their  net  by  giving  my  real  mime.  As  a  warning 
to  others  who  might  commit  the  same  error,  never  hold  con 
verse  in  nny  way  with  strangers  in  or  on  the  street,  nor  be 
tempted  to  say  who  you  are  ;  otherwise,  ill-usage,  drugging, 
and  robber}7,  or  perhaps  worse,  might  be  the  result  from 
contact  with  these  eyesores  of  society,  who  live  in  laziness 
all  their  days,  from  the  pockets  of  their  occasional  prey. 

Coney  Island,  1882,  1883,  1889. 

This  favorite  seashore  resort,  situated  a  short  distance 
from  New  York  City,  differs  materially  to-day  from  what  it 
was  twenty-five  years  ago,  when  quiet  family  people  would 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  159 

journey  there  for  the  fine  sea  bathing  and  fresh  sea  breezes. 
What  changes  are  there  now !  Certainly,  the  bathing  and 
breezes  remain,  but  all  comfort  of  seaside  quietude  is  gone 
forever  to  those  of  steady- going  habits. 

In  the  place  of  a  few  unassuming  cottages  of  years  ago, 
colossal  palace  hotels  now  reign  supreme,  with  miles  of 
avenues  and  pleasure  grounds ;  bands  of  music  are  attached 
to  each  hotel,  and  sometimes  they  number  as  many  as  sixty 
performers.  Gilmore,  Levy,  and  other  eminent  soloist  musi 
cians  are  there  in  the  course  of  the  season,  with  their  respec 
tive  bands  ;  the  enormous  expense  for  music  alone  to  the 
hotel  proprietors  must  be  a  very  heavy  item  of  expenditure, 
but  the  business  done  no  doubt  compensates  for  the  outlay. 
Coney  Island  is  a  great  place  for  a  day's  excursion,  and 
many  thousands  of  persons  from  the  adjacent  cities,  in  the 
hot  season,  avail  themselves  of  this  cool,  breezy,  gay  place, 
enlivened  as  it  is  with  every  amusement  the  heart  can  desire. 
But  to  stay  at  the  hotels,  as  myriads  do  every  summer, 
must  be  tiresome  ;  the  noise  and  turmoil  of  so  much  pleasure 
seeking  becomes  very  wearisome  and  monotonous  in  a  short 
while,  except  to  the  fast,  giddy  young  men  or  women  who 
frequent  Coney  Island  often. 

The  miles  of  long  stretch  of  beautiful  sandy  beach  is  un 
surpassed,  and  will  always  be  the  same  to  the  lovers  of  bath 
ing,  for  Nature  cannot  be  altered  ;  but  the  wonderful  trans 
formation  of  a  quiet  retreat,  in  times  past,  to  a  summer's 
carnival  of  pleasure,  is  almost  surprising  in  its  change. 

Pearly  in  September,  1889,  great  havoc  was  done  Coney 
Island  ^by  a  fearful  gale  of  wind  and  surf,  lasting  several 
days,  and  in  part  destroying  the  hotels  and  Manhattan  Rail 
way  by  its  great  violence. 

Jerome  Park  Races. 

This  fashionable  resort  for  running  races  is  much  patron 
ized  in  the  season.  Situated  but  a  short  railway  ride  from 
New  York,  it  is  a  very  pleasant  spot  for  such'  recreation. 
The  same  as  in  England,  most  of  the  racing  here  is  by 
saddle-horse  running,  with  jockey  riders  in  appropriate  cos 
tume  of  silk  jacket,  velvet  cap,  short  pants,  and  top  boots 


160  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

completing  the  costume  of  the  little  men  in  miniature  who 
bestride  the  thoroughbred  colts. 

The  excitement  and  risk  of  the  flat  and  hurdle  races  is 
sometimes  attended  with  sad  results  ;  though  the  owners  and 
book-makers  of  the  high-mettled  steeds  do  not  care  for  the 
fatalities  of  flood  and  field,  so  that  their  favorite  horses  do 
but  win  by  getting  first  place,  and  they  can  pocket  the  bet 
ting  proceeds. 

We  witnessed,  while  there,  a  dismounted  jockey,  lying 
lifeless  on  the  green  grass,  thrown  violently  from  his  horse, 
while  racing  at  break-neck  speed,  till  the  poor,  excited  ani 
mal  threw  his  rider  to  the  ground  by  stumbling,  then  re 
covered  itself,  and  at  once,  with  the  instinct  of  being  first  at 
the  judges'  stand,  dashed  wildly  on,  riderless,  around  the 
course,  till  stopped  by  the  grooms. 

Jefferson   Market   Police    Court. 

Strolling  into  the  above  phice  one  afternoon,  a  case  of  un 
requited  love  was  made  manifest.  A  young  Creole  girl 
preferred  the  charge  of  annoyance  against  a  young  man  a 
few  shades  darker  than  herself.  She  told  the  magistrate 
how  she  had  been  subjected  to  much  annoyance  by  the  per 
sistency  of  the  prisoner  following  her  about  wherever  she 
went,  and  wanting  to  walk  with  her.  In  answer  to  the  com 
plaint,  the  young  mulatto  said  they  were  once  engaged  to  be 
married,  but  lately  Juliana  had  refused  his  addresses,  and 
tried  to  shun  him,  but  he  loved  her  so,  he  could  not  live 
without  her.  The  kind-hearted  justice  tried  to  make  a  recon 
ciliation  between  them,  but  the  dark-complexioned  ladv 
would  not  listen  to  the  magistrate's  conciliatory  words,  and 
turning  her  back  on  her  devoted  admirer,  exclaimed,  "  I 
never  would  have  him  as  long  as  he  lived  !  "  The  Court, 
finding  his  efforts  unavailing  to  make  peace  and  reunited 
love  between  them,  told  the  ardent  young  darky  that  the 
penalty  of  annoying  the  girl  was  to  be  sent  to  jail  for  one 
week,  as  a  lesson  to  him,  and  to  cool  his  ardor  in  running 
after  .young  girls  who  cared  nothing  for  him.  When  the 
magistrate's  decision  was  given,  the  tears  streamed  down  the 
dusky  face  of  the  would-be  lover  with  such  painful  force 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  161 

that  the  justice  relented,  by  sending  the  girl  away  first,  and 
finished  up  by  giving  poor  weeping  sable  "  Romeo"  a  repri 
manding  and  dismissal,  with  the  full  promise  never  to  annoy 
his  Juliana  again. 

Among  the  many  curious  robberies  in  New  ^ork  City, 
one  was  told  the  writer,  of  a  young  woman  of  an  unfortunate 
class,  who,  on  going  into  a  liquor  saloon  at  night  for  some 
cordial,  stupidly  took  a  roll  of  bank  bills  from  out  of  one  of 
her  stockings.  The  idle,  thieving  ruffians,  who  hang  around 
bars,  opened  their  greedy  eyes  at  the  sight  of  the  girl's 
money;  they  speedily  followed  her  to  a  lonely  street,  then 
violently  seizing  her  by  the  waist,  threw  her  bodily  into  an 
empty  ash-barrel  (head  foremost),  so  that  the  thieves  could 
the  more  readily  rob  the  poor  miserable  woman  of  the  money 
from  its  hiding-place. 

Some  friends  and  the  narrator  were  coming  home  late  at 
night  from  a  grand  masquerade  ball,  and  passing  through 
one  of  the  side  streets,  between  Broadway  and  the  Bowery, 
in  the  gloom  and  shadow,  a  few  yards  ^distant,  we  beheld 
three  men.  One  was  quite  drunk,  and  propped  up  against 
the  railing  of  a  house,  while  his  companions  were  busy  rob 
bing  him,  without  violence,  however.  As  we  hurried 
towards  them,  the  highway  robbers  ran  different  ways  ;  and 
as  we  passed  the  intoxicated  man,  we  heard  him  exclaim, 
u  What  are  you  doing  to  me  ?  Leave  me  alone  !  "  So  much 
for  drunkenness  and  saloon  companions,  to  be  robbed  and 
fleeced  almost  under  the  shadow  of  the  police  headquarters. 

A  newly  appointed  police  magistrate  in  New  York  City, 
some  years  ago,  combined  a  small  business  as  bronze  manu 
facturer  with  the  meting  out  of  justice.  One  day,  one  of 
his  workmen,  noted  for  irregularities,  was  brought  before  the 
justice  for  the  misdemeanor  of  drunkenness.  The  magis 
trate,  of  course,  pretended  not  to  know  the  delinquent,  and 
gravely  gave  the  prisoner  a  severe  lecture  of  reprimand,  and 
inflicted  a  nominal  fine.  Even  this  small  amount  the  defend 
ant  did  not  possess,  but  sat  in  a  dazed  sort  of  way  within 
the  enclosure  of  the  court  till  the  money  was  forthcoming. 
Towards  the  end  of  the  day's  official  business,  the  justice, 
wiping  his  glasses  to  go  home,  apparently  for  the  first  time 
noticed  the  trembling  and  penitent  workman  sitting  there, 


162  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

and  severely  said,  "  What  do  you  want  here?"  The  half- 
sobered  man  replied,  in  a  nervous  tone,  "  I  have  not  paid  my 
fine,  your  Honor  !  "  The  administrator  of  the  law  paid  the 
money,  and  with  much  pretended -harshness  exclaimed,  "  Get 
out  of  here  !  "  The  now  really  sober  man  was  not  long  get 
ting  away,  down  street.  What  a  pity  it  is,  the  wretched 
appetite  for  strong  drink  !  This  trembling  and  abject  crea 
ture  was  well  known  to  be  a  thoroughly  good  mechanic  (often 
the  case  with  drinking-men) ,  and  situations  with  excellent 
wages  were  freely  offered  to  him,  without  avail ;  he  never 
could  work  steadily,  the  result  being  a  chronic  state  of  hard- 
up  in  money  matters,  invariably  winding  up  with  penury  and 
misery,  and,  if  possible,  worse  than  that. 

The    Summer   Sanitary   Corps   of  New   York   City. 

Forty-eight  physicians  and  two  female  doctors,  recently 
appointed  by  the  Board  of  Health,  started  on  their  mission 
of  mercy  to  alleviate  suffering  humanity  on  the  sunny,  scorch 
ing  1st  of  July,  1800.  This  corps  of  the  medical  fraternity, 
under  the  guidance  of  the  sanitary  commissioner,  inspect  the 
tenement  districts  of  the  sick  and  poor  during  the  heated 
term  of  July  and  August,  visiting,  counselling,  bringing  hope 
and  life  to  thousands  of  needy  families.  Few  cities  have  a 
better  organized  or  more  generous  charity  than  this,  a  charity 
which  the  poor  and  lowty  may  all  accept  without  any  false 
notions  of  independence.  We  all  know  what  the  side  and 
back  street  miseries  of  large  cities,  like  New  York's  over 
crowded  tenements,  are  like ;  squalor,  indigent  poverty, 
neglect,  and  suffering  and  other  causes  produce  much  sick 
ness,  particular!}'  among  the  young  and  helpless  The  laud 
able  system  of  distributing  circulars  in  English,  German,  and 
Italian,  giving  simple  instructions  for  the  treatment  of  sick 
children,  is  a  humane  benevolence  worihy  of  imitation  by 
crowded  cities  generally.  The  physicians  thus  appointed, 
in  their  mission  of  good  work,  receive  at  the  rate  of  one  hun 
dred  dollars  per  month. 

The  census  men  of  1890,  having  completed  their  task  of 
enumeration  of  the  United  States,  state  the  figures  amount 
to  64,00°, 000.  This  nation,  which  at  the  struggle  for  hide- 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  163 

pendence  some  three  generations  ago,  was  hardly  3, COO, COO 
strong,  now  outranks  in  population  all  the  great  powers,  ex 
cepting  Russia.  This  marvellous  and  rapid  growth  of  popu 
lation  and  progress  is  in  a  measure  the  outcome  of  the  con 
stant  influx  of  cosmopolitan  emigration,  in  conjunction  with 
American  enterprise. 

The  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  Central  Park. 

Numerous  are  the  visitors  and  residents  in  New  York  who 
neglect  the  opportunity  of  visiting  the  above-named  Museum 
of  Art,  either  through  the  want  of  knowledge  of  the  gems 
contained,  or  some  other  cause.  The  pictures  by  old  and 
modern  masters  in  the  eastern  galleries  are  worthy  many 
hours'  attention,  and  are  such  as  to  engross  the,  artistic  taste 
of  student  and  cpnnoisseur  alike,  in  the  excellence  of  the 
many  talented  paintings  produced.  Among  the  names  of 
artists  of  distinguished  ability  may  be  mentioned  those  of 
David  Teniers,  of  the  Flemish  school  of  old  masters,  Sir 
Joshua  Reynolds  and  Sir  Peter  Lely,  of  English  renown  of 
ancient  masters  ;  while  France  is  ably  represented  by  the  won 
derful  modern  works  of  that  famed  artist,  Meissonier,  and 
the  celebrated  '-Horse  Fair"  picture  of  Rosa  Bonheur. 
The  galleries  of  modern  sculptures  in  the  hall  are  well  worth}7 
of  close  attention  ;  the  statuary  therein  exhibited  are  very  in 
teresting  products  of  the  sculptor's  chisel,  while  in  the  rooms 
devoted  to  artistic  silver  and  bronze  work  there  is  much  to 
charm  the  connoisseur  in  metals,  wrought  out  with  great 
manipulation  and  skill  by  the  cunning  hand  of  man  into  such 
beautiful  shapes  and  of  fine  design  in  embossing  and  chasing. 
Porcelain,  in  every  variety  of  shape  and  color,  is  also  exhib 
ited  here  in  the  galleries,  of  which  the  eye  never  wearies  of 
its  many  beauties. 

Near  by  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art  is  the  building 
devoted  to  Natural  History,  and  to  all  lovers  of  natural 
science  a  sight  is  here  worthy  of  much  admiration,  from 
small  insects  to  the  largest  quadrupeds  in  Nature,  which  are 
in  well-preserved  condition,  and  arranged  in  classified  order 
of  their  species. 


164 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 


American  Peculiarities. 

In  American  small  towns  or  cities  the  custom  is  somewhat 
peculiar,  in  regard  to  their  houses.  In  many  cases,  when  a 
visitor  calls,  the  initiated  scarcely  ever  makes  for  the  front 
door  in  asking  admittance,  but  invariably  goes  to  the  back 
or  side  door,  which  is  generally  left  unfastened.  The  front 
approach,  or  best  entrance,  is  hermetically  sealed  by  being 
bolted  and  double-locked  ;  consequently  the  bolts  and  bars 


get  rusty  from  every-day  want  of  use,  —  so  much  so  that 
when  a  novice  of  a  caller  ventures  up  the  front  steps  and 
rings  the  door-bell,  there  is  much  turning  of  keys,  and  a  gen 
eral  wrestling  of  unused,  rusty  locks  is  the  result ;  and  a  look 
of  chagrin  from  the  housewife  to  the  bold  invader,  for  break 
ing  the  spell  of  closed  doors.  What  the  motive  is,  it  is  hard 
to  say,  unless  it  may  be  to  protect  the  parlor  carpet  from 
muddy  boots,  or  perhaps  a  gladsome  ray  of  sunshine  might 
dart  into  the  sanctum  and  spoil  the  furniture. 


EAMBLES    IX    AMERICA.  165 

Another  peculiarity  in  some  country  towns  is,  that  a 
stranger  may  pass  through  streets  of  houses  and  never  once 
see  a  living  form  in  the  front  part  of  the  dwellings.  It  re 
sembles  a  village  in  a  state  of  seige  ;  window  shutters  closed 
in  barricaded  sorts  of  rooms,  excluding  God's  blessings  of 
air  and  light.  But  the  economical  housewife  would  exclaim, 
"My  best  carpet  from  the  sun  and  dust  must  be  saved,  and 
in  the  winter  the  cold  must  be  kept  out."  All  the  domestic 
business  of  an  American  home  is  generally  transacted  at  the 
back  or  side  doors  of  the  house  ;  and  perhaps  it  is  a  piece 
of  impertinence  of  the  writer  to  question  such  ways. 

Meeting  an  American  acquaintance,  with  very  blackened 
face,  we  inquired  the  reason  of  the  soot.  He  replied,  "I 
have  been  wrestling  with  a  stove."  From  the  term,  one 
would  imply  that  a  pugilistic  encounter  had  taken  place  ; 
not  so  at  all ;  the  stove  needed  a  thorough  cleaning  with 
black  lead,  and  had,  in  the  figurative  language  of  our  friend, 
to  be  "wrestled  with";  because,  one  would  suppose,  the 
stove  didn't  like  it.  Then  again,  that  old  bone  of  contention 
between  husband  and  wife,  the  refixing  of  stove-pipe,  when 
more  harsh  words  are  used  on  the  occasion  than  any  since 
the  pair  were  united  in  wedlock. 

In  due  time  the  house-cleaning  of  spring  and  fall  comes 
around  in  American  homes,  and  it  is  something  wonderful  to 
behold  ;  the  busy  matron  enveloped  in  a  large  apron,  the 
female  help  clad  in  the  same  way,  with  a  turban  also  on  her 
head ;  and  both  mistress  and  maid  make  a  clear  onslaught 
on  the  devoted  home,  on  a  certain  day  ;  every  carpet  is  taken 
up,  and  every  picture  taken  down  ;  the  bedding  hung  out  of 
the  window  ;  everybody  cross  and  ill-tempered  ;  babies,  if 
there  are  any,  always  crying  amidst  the  confusion  of  sweep 
ing,  scrubbing,  window-cleaning,  etc.  ;  in  fact,  everything  is 
turned  topsy-turvy.  Then  a  thoroughly  true  housewife,  when 
she  has  made  everybody  miserable  and  herself  worn  out  with 
the  periodical  house-cleaning,  sits  down  and  has  a  good  cry ; 
but  a  reaction  at  last  takes  place  ;  the  carpets  and  furniture 
are  allowed  to  be  replaced,  and  the  poor,  chop-fallen  husband 
is  permitted  to  come  home  in  peace  once  more,  till  the  next 
six  months  is  up,  and  then  the  cleaning  goes  on  again.  The 
cleanliness  and  thriftiness  of  American  homes  are  worthy 


166  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

of  imitation  by  other  countries ;  if  ever  so  humble.,  the 
abodes  in  America  are  invariably  neat  and  cleanly  ;  the  best 
is  made  of  a  little,  oftentimes,  and  the  houses  are  never 
slovenly.  In  truth,  the  wages  earned  in  this  country  are 
sufficient  to  secure  and  keep  good  homes,  if  the  husband  is  a 
temperate  and  industrious  person,  and  the  wife  a  willing 
helper. 

The  mania  of  weighing  and  being  weighed  is  quite  an  in 
stitution  in  the  United  States  amongst  all  classes,  from  the 
rich  land-owner  down  to  the  poorest  artisan  ;  all  have  the 
infection  ;  it  is  practised  on  the  new-born  baby,  a  few  hours 
old,  and  goes  on  from  the  school-boy  and  school  miss  in 
their  teens  to  the  decrepid  old  man  and  woman.  If  a  sum 
mer's  vacation  is  on  hand,  a  rush  for  the  scales  is  made  by 
both  sexes,  to  keep  account  how  much  flesh  is  gained  or  lost 
during  the  holiday  trip  ;  if  a  headache  or  toothache  occurs, 
the  weighing  business  is  again  in  requisition  ;  if  some  persons 
are  sick  twenty-four  hours,  and  the  scales  are  to  be  got  at, 
tho  balance  of  probable  loss  is  calculated  with  minute  exact 
ness.  On  Saturdays  the  school-children  copy  their  elders r 
and  have  their  picnics  in  the  weighing  line,  to  the  annoyance 
of  the  family  grocer ;  the  youngsters  trotting  around  the 
neighborhood,  in  and  out  of  every  store  that  keeps  Fair- 
banks's  standard  or  any  other  weighing  machines  ;  and  when 
thoroughly  tired  out,  go  home,  report  their  condition  of  so 
many  pounds  more  or  less  than  a  wee'v  ago,  and  then  make 
an  inroad  into  the  Saturday's  baked  beans  ;  and  try  by  that 
means  to  recover  their  status  of  weight,  if  any  is  lost. 

Of  the  observances  of  most  American  funerals,  tho  usual 
custom  is  to  give  notice  by  newspapers  or  otherwise  of  the 
death  of  the  deceased,  and  relatives  and  friends  are  invited 
to  the  house  of  mourning  on  a  certain  day  ;  religious  ser 
vices  are  generally  held  at  the  residence  of  the  departed 
one,  and  all  the  formula  of  a  mixed  gathering  takes  place. 
People  from  all  parts  come ;  some  who  never  knew  the 
deceased,  but  wish  to  be  present,  perhaps  to  hear  the  death- 
lesson  inculcated,  or  more  frequently  from  morbid  curiosity  ; 
women  with  shawls  and  dresses  of  every  variety  of  colorr 
red  feathers  and  green  veils  on  the  bonnets  or  hats  ;  in 
fact,  no  semblance  of  outward  mourning  or  w<>e  is  notice- 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  167 

able ;  the  corpse  is  viewed  after  the  clergyman's  remarks, 
and  the  sight-seers  go  away,  satisfied  with  having  done  their 
duty.  Some  of  the  old  ladies  (regular  attenders)  boast  of 
how  many  funerals  they  attend  in  a  week,  and  seemed  sur 
prised  that  others  do  not  follow  the  same  example.  This 
reminds  the  writer  of  an  anecdote,  several  years  ago,  when 
hanging  was  prevalent  for  minor  offences  in  England  ;  one 
friend  met  another,  inquiring  why  the  other  was  not  at  the 
execution  lately;  the  friend  replied  that  he  u  seldom  went 
to  any  hangings  now,  —  in  fact,  he  scarcely  took  any  kind 
of  pleasures  lately." 

Whether  it  is  the  nature  of  the  climate  of  America,  or 
force  of  habit  that  cannot  be  controlled,  or  something  else, 
it  is  difficult  to  say  what  causes  such  unpleasant  expectora 
tion  from  so  man}*  males  and  females  in  this  country.  One 
might  almost  imagine  this  vast  continent  a  suffering  multi 
tude  of  persons  afflicted  with  catarrh.  Nothing  can  be  more- 
unfortunate  than  an  affliction  of  this  kind  (whether  real  or 
imaginary,  is  left  open  to  doubt).  Not  only  young  people, 
but  their  elders  practise  this  disagreeable  habit  of  coughing, 
expectorating,  and  spitting  the  day  long,  and  then  go  for 
that  panacea  of  all  cures,  the  water-faucet.  Fifty  times  a 
da}',  or  more,  is  the  incessant  demand  made  on  the  water- 
supply  tank,  for  those  supposed  to  be  suffering  with  catarrh, 
or  those  idly-disposed  ones,  just  to  pass  the  time,  listlessly 
waiting,  while  a  quantity  of  water  wastes  away,  to  get  a 
glass  or  two  of  the  cool  beverage.  When  one  enters  a  hotel 
dining-room  the  obsequious  waiter  speedily  brings  a  glass  of 
water,  however  cold  the  weather  may  be.  Ice -water,  of 
course,  is  used  in  such  large  quantities  during  the  summer 
season,  as  oftentimes  does  more  mischief  to  the  stomachs  of 
the  imbibers  than  the  worst  kind  of  rum  they  could  swallow  ; 
competent  medical  authorities  have  proved  this.  It  is  far 
from  the  writer's  intention  to  recommend  strong  liquors, 
except  when  strictly  necessary  in  cases  of  sickness  ;  but 
much  safer  drinks  than  ice- water,  to  pour  into  overheated 
bodies,  are  lemonade,  tea,  coffee,  barley-water,  etc.,  to 
assuage  one's  thirst  with,  and  satisfy  the  yearning  for  some 
thing  liquid,  in  the  hot  season  of  the  year/ 

Another   curious    feature  here,   amongst  the   young  men 


168  RAMBLES    IX    AMERICA. 

general!}*,  occurs  whenever  a  theatrical  performance  (or 
show,  as  it  is  called  in  country  towns)  takes  place.  When 
the  amusement  is  over,  a  long  file  of  men  and  boys  in  line 
fringe  the  edge  of  the  sidewalk,  their  motto  being,  one  would 
suppose,  to  see  and  be  seen  ;  also  stare  ladies  out  of  coun 
tenance,  make  all  kinds  of  remarks,  good,  bad,  and  indif 
ferent,  to  those  who  emerge  from  opera  house  and  con 
cert  hall.  Even  church-going  folks  do  not  escape  being 
looked  over,  for  the  i,oung  body-guard  is  always  on  hand, 
and  ever  on  duty  in  all  kinds  of  weather,  to  watch  their  vic 
tims,  oftentimes  for  slander  or  criticism.  Why  this  standing 
abuse  is  passively  submitted  to.  by  pastors  of 'churches,  and 
allowed  by  the  police  authorities,  is  a  mystery  to  many,  and 
an  enigma  to  others  ;  the  sidewalks  should  be  swept  off, 
and  kept  clear  of  such  ill-mannered  people. 

Still  another ;  a  most  peculiar  notion  some  young  men 
have,  in  storm  or  sunshine,  is  that  of  hanging'  or  loafing 
about  the  most  public  street  corners,  and  during  evenings 
loitering  in  doorways,  staring  females  out  of  countenance  as 
they  pass  by,  chewing  and  spitting  on  the  sidewalks  most 
offensively,  making  the  promenade  at  these  corners  far  from 
pleasant.  The  police  sometimes  make  a  faint  effort  to  stop 
this  nuisance,  but  in  a  mild  sort  of  way,  truly  in  such  a  man 
ner  that  the  idlers  still  exist,  and  the  evil  continues.  A 
Saturday  night's  promenade  in  most  towns  is  something  re 
markable.  Stores  are  open  late,  and  a  constant  flow  of 
pedestrians  is  kept  up  ;  young  men  and  girls  do  the  "  go  as 
you  please"  walk  till  their  limbs  ache,  and  then  the v dissolve 
(like  the  witches  in  "  Macbeth")  into  thin  air  to  their  habi 
tations. 

While  on  this  subject  of  peculiarities,  and  with  all  due  def 
erence  to  Americans  of  every  class,  one  word  on  the  item 
of  dress  (men's  dress,  of  course).  Without  doubt,  the 
majority  of  citizens  of  this  country  are  better  clad  than  any 
other  nation  in  the  world  ;  the  skilled  artisan  of  this  continent 
appears  invariably  well  dressed,  and  bears  comparison  with 
others  in  different  countries ;  the  circumstances  of  better 
paid  wages  gives  the  resident  mechanics  here  a  much  fitter 
opportunity  to  dress  well ;  they  can  afford  it,  and  they  have 
the  good  taste  as  well  as, the  means  to  do  it;  and  we  find 


RAMBLKS    IN    AMERICA.  169 

the  new-comers  from  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic  speedily 
fall  into  the  same  views ;  discarding  their  old-fashioned 
coats,  with  rounded  shoulders,  for  others  of  American  cut 
and  style,  though  that  sort  of  style  is  somewhat  overdone. 
A  Yankee,  full  dressed  in  a  winter  overcoat,  if  he  is  ever  so 
thin  and  .spare,  will  look  a  goodly  sized  man,  in  the  big 
garment  of  innumerable  paddings  ;  the  coat  shoulders  are 
wadded  and  padded,  and  stick  out  like  a  soldier's  epaulet ; 
and  it  is  very  ludicrous  sometimes  to  observe,  while  walking 
behind  these  lay  figures  in  an  overcoat,  the  different  move 
ments  of  the  arms  ;  for  as  they  move  up  to  the  shoulder,  that 
part  of  the  limb  remains  stationary,  as  it  is  encased  in  a  bed 
of  padding,  giving  the  moving  individual  an  appearance  of 
one  of  Mrs.  Jarley's  wax-work  figures,  on  the  rampage,  just 
wound  up  for  the  day.  A  notable  feature  oftentimes  with 
young  Americans  of  both  sexes  is,  that  they  seem  invariably 
to  have  gone  to  school  with  almost  every  one  of  their 
acquaintances  who  is  mentioned  in  their  hearing,  a  pecu 
liarity  quite  common  among  all  classes. 

"  Surprise  Parties  "  in  America. 

Surprise  parties  in  the  United  States  are  an  institution 
entirely  its  own.  A  number  of  friends  arrange  together  to 
have  a  good  time  at  a  certain  person's  house,  who  is  supposed 
to  be  surprised,  and  whom  most  of  the  conspirators  know. 
Music  is  provided  and  refreshments  of  all  kinds  are  generally 
very  liberally  brought  by  the  ladies  of  the  party.  The  band 
of  surprisers  meet  at  an  acquaintance's  residence  at  a  stated 
hour ;  then  the  little  procession  pairs  off,  each  person  carry 
ing  a  pot  of  beans,  a  pie,  or  basket  of  eatables  ;  they  march 
to  the  victims'  dwelling,  burst  in  upon  them,  and  take  pos 
session  of  the  house  or  tenement.  Then  comes  the  fun.  A 
number  of  the  lady  visitors  put  on  clean  aprons,  and  attend 
to  the  culinary  department  in  the  kitchen,  preparatory  for 
supper  ;  others  go  in  for  music,  dancing,  and  flirting  ;  while 
some  of  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  party  appear  as  if 
they  were  carved  out  of  stone  or  wood,  so  inanimate  are  they  ; 
sitting  listlessly  yawning,  and  staring  at  one  another ;  seem 
ing  to  take  no  interest  in  anything,  and  utterly  wearied  with 


170  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

the  surprise  business.  The  master  or  mistress  of  the  house, 
whether  they  are  surprised  or  not,  always  endeavor  to 
pretend  they  are,  and  bustle  about  good-naturedly,  making 
everybody  welcome  to  their  home.  The  writer  of  these 
sketches  has  spent  some  very  agreeable  evenings  at  these 
gatherings,  in  the  pleasant  societ}'  of  kind  friends  and  ac 
quaintances. 

The  Hack  Office. 

Idlers  at  the  hack  office  are  a  curious  mixture  of  transient 
and  stationary  humanity,  something  between  the  barbers  and 
shoemakers—  shop  gossips  ;  the  livery-stable  sanctum  is  the 
great  emporium  centre  of  attractive  outpouring  of  thought. 
From  earl}'  morn  till  dewy  eve  the  news  is  gathered  in  from 
far  and  wide  of  people's  doings,  in  the  cit}^  and  out  of  it ;  any 
passers-b}'  are  swiftly  chronicled,  criticised,  and  looked  over 
by  the  idlers,  who  seem  to  spend  most  of  their  existence  in 
lounging  around  the  office  and  barn  of  a  livery  stable,  lazily 
reading  newspapers,  spitting,  chewing,  and  occasionally  en 
forcing  their  arguments  in  low,  coarse  language,  and  some 
times  comparing  notes  of  disparagement  on  other  men's 
horses,  in  or  out  of  town.'  The  proprietors  of  livery  stables 
are  generally  a  decent  set  of  hard-working  men,  who  would 
be  glad  to  'get  rid  of  their  daily  pests  (the  barn-idlers) , 
who  hang  about  the  hack  office  like  an  incubus.  When  in 
dustriously  inclined  for  an  odd  job,  they  make  an  effort  to 
drive,  being  too  lazy  to  pull  off  their  coats  and  work  at  a 
trade  like  a  man,  but  prefer  to  fritter  away  their  time 
amidst  the  close  odors  of  a  stable.  What  on  earth  is  the 
attraction  at  the  hack  offices?  Is  it  the  fondness  for  horses? 
If  so,  why  not  imitate  the  dumb  creatures,  and  work,  like 
them,  for  their  living  ;  if,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  sheer  idle 
ness,  we  cannot  envy  their  choice,  shut  in  a  little  room,  a 
few  feet  square,  inhaling  the  unwholesome  atmosphere  of 
stale,  reeking  tobacco,  or  probably  giving  and  taking  coarse 
jokes,  not  in  a  very  commendable  manner.  The  regularly 
employed  drivers  and  hostlers  at  livery  stables  look  on  with 
contempt  at  the  "loafers,"  who  seem  to  be  always  in  the 
way. 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  171 


American   Sewing   Societies   and  Festival. 

These  associations,  somewhat  peculiar  to  the  United 
States,  consist  of  companies  of  ladies,  who  elect  from  their 
own  body  a  president,  secretary  and  other  officers,  their 
praiseworthy  object  being  to  assist  the  poor  by  the  labor  of 
their  nimble"  fingers.  The  members  each  subscribe  so  many 
dollars  annually,  to  form  a  fund  for  materials,  charitable 
gifts,  etc.  Meetings  for  business  are  held  weekly,  and  the 
sewing  work  is  performed  at  the  houses  of  all  the  members 
in  turn,  and  sometimes  in  the  parlor  of  the  church  to  which 
the  members  of  the  society  belong.  This  is  unquestionably 
a  good  institution  to  assist  the  poor  ;  yet  the  ill-natured  have 
denounced  some  of  these  gatherings  as  mere  coteries  for 
gossip  and  scandal  of  their  neighbors.  Be  this  as  it  may, 
these  societies  are  exceedingly  creditable  to  the  female  por 
tion  of  America,  on  account  of  the  sympathy  and  aid  they 
furnish  to  the  poor,  gladdening  the  hearts  of  the  desolate  by 
the  timely  gifts  of  clothing  in  the  severe  seasons.  These 
societies  occasionally  give  a  grand  fete,  or  fanc}T  fair,  to  help 
the  exchequer,  when  the  gentleman  friends  are  invited  to 
assist  in  the  business  arrangements 

The  writer  had  the  pleasure  of  serving  as  one  of  the  com 
mittee,  and  was  much  struck  by  the  profuse  liberality  of  the 
townspeople  in  bringing  gifts  in  aid  of  the  festival,  such  as 
cakes  of  every  description,  tarts,  hams,  tongues,  pumpkin 
pies,  artificial  and  natural  flowers,  fancy  ornaments,  etc., 
and  other  presents  to  grace  the  counters  of  the  fair  traders  in 
the  bazaar.  Several  gentlemen,  mostly  clergymen,  addressed 
the  meeting  on  the  subject  of  temperance,  and  the  evil  con 
sequences  of  its  opposite. 

We  ma}?  here  mention  an  ingenious  Yankee  device  for 
drawing  the  dollars  from  the  visitors'  pockets.  Independ 
ently  of  the  stalls  for  the  sale  of  fancy  goods,  a  miniature 
post-office  was  erected ;  a  gay-looking  structure,  adorned 
with  flags  and  flowers,  looking  indeed  more  like  a  beautiful 
boudoir  than  a  post-office  ;  to  serve  at  which,  a  pretty  young 
lady  was  selected  as  post-mistress,  in  order  to  attract  the 
young  gentlemen,  and  induce  them  to  inquire  at  the  office  for 
letters.  The  fair  president  of  the  mail  then  asks  them  the 


172  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

name  of  the  letter  inquired  for,  and  other  young  ladies  are 
inside,  acting  as  clerks,  who  quickly  write  the  name  given  on 
the  envelopes  of  the  letters,  which  are  handed  to  the  appli 
cant  on  payment  of  fifteen  cents.  Should  the  young  gal 
lants  offer  a  larger  coin,  he  seldom  gets  any  change,  as  the 
object  is  to  receive  everything,  give  back  nothing.  The 
insides  of  the  letters  contain  bits  of  poetry,  feigned  lovers' 
epistles,  moral  maxims  and  a  variety  of  subjects  suitable  for 
either  sex,  the  missives  for  ladies  and  gentlemen  being  care 
fully  kept  apart  to  prevent  confusion. 

In  later  years,  sewing-circles  are  getting  more  in  the  spirit- 
of  the  age,  about  once  in  every  two  weeks.  Young  people  are 
invited  to  these  social  gatherings  ;  the  girls  are  supposed  to 
assist  the  elder  ladies  in  sewing,  but  their  eyes  are  more  often 
fixed  on  the  entrance  door,  the  later  hour  in  the  evening  being 
the  advent  of  the  young  men  escorts,  who  claim  they  come  to 
fetch  their  sisters,  cousins,  or  nieces  home  ;  but  we  are  inclined 
naturally  to  believe  that  the  young  gallants'  object  is  to  carry 
home  some  one  else's  sister,  other  than  their  own,  by  the  sit 
ting  apart  from  the  older  ladies  at  supper,  and  playing  off 
the  flirtations  that  old  and  young  are  mostty  so  fond  of 
under  the  shadow  of  the  church,  and  in  the  presence  of  the 
good-natured  pastor  and  his  wife,  who  look  smilingly  on  at 
the  turtle-doves. 


Drinking  Practices  in  America. 

"  'Drink,  drink,'  the  demon  cried; 
'  Away  with  care  and  sorrow ; 
Be  happy  while  you  can  to-day, 
And  never  mind  the  morrow.'  " 

The  bar-rooms,  or  saloons,  in  the  United  States,  differ 
materially  from  those  in  England,  for  few  of  them  have  a 
vestige  of  a  seat,  however  tired  a  person  may  be.  Yet 
the  license  authorities  in  Boston,  1890,  have  established 
the  law  that  bar-drinking  shall  be  abolished,  and  every 
applicant  for  a  dram  must  be  seated  at  a  table,  and  the 
beverage  brought  to  him.  And  though  they  have  loads  of 
bottles,  liquors,  and  cigars,  there  are  few  attempts  at  show 
and  splendor,  at  any  rate  in  the  Eastern  States,  that 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  173 

characterize  the  Western  States  and  some  parts  of  Europe. 
AVhen  two  friends  meet  (particularly  in  large  cities)  and 
shake  hands,  the  first  words  after  the  welcome  universally 
are,  "  I  guess  we'll  liquor,"  or  have  a  drink  ;  then  adjourn 
to  the  bar.  If  brandy  or  whiskey  be  the  stimulant  called 
for,  a  bottle,  containing  perhaps  a  quart,  and  nearly  full, 
is  handed  to  the  customers,  with  a  couple  of  small  tumblers, 
into  which  they  pour  what  they  please*;  and  as  there  is  no 
fixed  limit,  a  greedy  dram-drinker  may  regale  himself  to  his 
content  at  low  cost.  The  more  general  custom  in  these  bar 
rooms  is  just  to  cover  the  bottom  of  the  glass  with  the 
liquor,  gulp  it  down,  and  then  cross  over  the  road  to  some 
other  dram-shop,  to  get  another  dose,  and  so  on  ;  the  price 
of  each  drink  being  ten  cents  for  liquors,  and  five  cents  for 
lager  (and  of  course  the  charge  is  more  at  hotels)  ;  thus 
enabling  those  who  wish,  to  get  drunk  at  a  small  expense  ; 
for  the  American  liquor,  be  it  remembered,  is  considerably 
above  proof,  and  very  fiery  and  impure.  As  for  good  liquors, 
they  can,  of  course,  be  purchased  at  a  certain  price,  but 
only  at  the  best  and  most  respectable  hotels.  It  were, 
undoubtedly,  much  to  be  desired  that  the  bad  habit  of  dram- 
drinking  should  gradually  diminish  in  operation,  for  it  pre 
vails  among  all  classes  of  the  communit}T,  and  entails  much 
misery  and  privation  to  wives  and  poor  children-  of  drinking- 
men. 

There  is  a  peculiarity  in  American  bar-rooms  that  would 
be  well  worthy  of  imitation  in  other  countries ;  never, 
scarcely,  does  one  see  a  woman  enter  them,  either  as  an 
applicant  for  drink  or  to  serve  behind  the  bar.  We  do  not, 
of  course,  mean  that  women  there  do  not  partake  of  the 
inebriating  cup  (whether  beer  or  spirits)  at  all,  but  very 
seldom  are  those  disgusting  scenes  of  female  intoxication 
and  debauchery  seen  on  the  streets  of  American  cities  that 
are  daily  occurrences  in  London  and  most  of  the  great  towns 
throughout  the  British  Empire.  When  such  habits  are  in 
dulged  in  by  American  women  who  are  abroad,  it  is  not  at 
public  bars,  but  when  they  are  sitting  quietly  in  oyster  and 
other  so-called  saloons,  protected  by  curtained  partitions 
from  the  public  view;  and  granted,  even,  that  this  shows  a 
bad  state  of  morals,  females  do  not  incur  that  loss  of  self- 


174  KAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

respect  which  would  result  from  their  exposure  in  the  garish 
brilliance  of  an  open  English  bar.  Also,  there  are  none  of 
those  pretty,  well-dressed,  showy,  and  coquettish  barmaids, 
who  are  too  often  employed  as  a  lure  to  attract  liquorish- 
toothed  elderly  and  young  men,  who  often  spend  hours  in 
chatting  to  and  flattering  the  girls  behind  the  counter  —  the 
chief  object  of  whose  graciousness  and  amiability  is  to 
bring  grist  to  their  employer's  mill,  and  laugh  in  their  sleeve 
-at  the  dangling  gallants. 

Country  Boarding-houses. 

The  boarding-houses  of  America,  especially  in  country 
parts,  are  matters  of  necessity  to  a  single  man  ;  in  some 
villages  and  towns  there  are  neither  hotels  nor  restaurants, 
so  that  he  has  no  alternative.  Different  customs  prevail  in 
establishments  of  this  kind,  but  when  the  rate  of  payment 
is  generally  high,  it  is  rather  hard  to  be  compelled  to  eat 
whatever  a^  landlady  may  choose  to  provide,  whether  agree 
able  to  the  palate  or  not,  or  whether  one  be  sick  or  in 
health.  Nevertheless,  like  the  laws  of  the  Medes  and  the 
Persians,  which  never  alter,  the  arrangements  cannot  be 
changed  ;  and,  therefore,  at  first  we  felt  this  mode  of  living 
somewhat  tiresome,  though  one  gets  used  to  it,  after  a  time, 
and  could  relish  apple  or  pumpkin  pies  for  breakfast  as  well 
as  the  best  of  them. 

The  private  boarding-houses,  in  pleasant  families,  are 
agreeable  enough ;  but  when  a  boarder  is  daily  reminded  by 
a  stingy  proprietress  of  the  high  price  of  provisions,  or 
some  family  squabble  is  reproduced  at  the  dinner,  one  is  apt 
to  leave  it  with  any  but  agreeable  impressions. 

At  one  of  the  houses  where  the  writer  resided,  we  had  an 
old  landlady  about  whose  dinners  there  was  a  peculiarity 
quite  the  reverse  of  pleasant.  At  a  stated  time,  say  twelve 
o'clock,  all  the  boarders  were  supposed  to  be  in  their  places 
at  the  dinner-table  ;  but  the  old  lady,  the  presiding  genius 
of  the  house,  and  her  husband  also,  would  insist  upon  having 
the  dinner  served  up  half  an  hour  previously,  in  order  to 
supply  to  each  individual  his  or  her  portion. 

The  idea  was  capital,  and  a  master-stroke  of  economy  ; 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  175 

but  the  result  unhappily  was,  that  we  always  had  a  cold 
dinner,  which  is  anything  but  agreeable.  Yet  the  boarders 
submitted  to  this  martinet's  whims  without  a  murmur,  fear- 
ins;  to  be  unpopular  with  her,  if  they  interfered. 

'This  same  lady  was  quite  a  character,  in  her  way,  for  she 
devoted  herself  "with  especial  diligence  to  the  reading  of 
newspapers.  Her  depth  in  this  sort  of  knowledge  was 
immense  ;  and  with  such  skill  in  political  lore,  that  she  could 
fully  sustain  an  argument  on  any  subject,  however  great  the 
opposition,  rocking  her  two-hundred-pound  body,  meanwhile, 
in  her  sturdy  rocking-chair,  and  laying  down  the  law  so 
loudly,  and  with  such  strong  emphasis,  that  she  soon  drove 
her  opponents  from  the  field. 

One  more  anecdote  respecting  her,  and  we  have  done. 
The  sultry,  hot  days  of  July  and  August  threw  the  chronicler 
into  a  low  fever,  during  which,  I  must  in  justice  say,  the  old 
lady  attended  me  with  great  kindness.  One  day,  however, 
I  was  feeling  worse  than  usual,  having  no  relatives  in  the 
township,  and  being  despondent  and  lonely,  which  doubtless 
was  portrayed  in  my  looks;  when,  perhaps  for  the  purpose 
of  cheering  the  patient,  this  Job's  comforter  in  petticoats 
observed,  "Young  man,  it  would  be  a  great  pity,  I  guess, 
to  have  to  bury  you  so  far  away  from  your  friends  ! " 

While  on  the  subject  of  boarding-houses,  let  us  observe 
that  a  great  deal  depends  on  the  boarder  making  himself  as 
agreeable  as  he  can  to  the  host  and  hostess,  as  well  as  to  the 
other  guests  of  the  house  ;  for  a  sour-tempered  person  will 
find  himself  subjected  to  a  thousand  petty  annoyances.  In 
many  families  with  whom  we  have  resided,  we  can  speak  in 
the  highest  terms  of  praise,  both  of  their  general  household 
arrangements  and  individual  kind  attentions. 

Divorces   in   America. 

Divorces  on  the  American  continent  are  alarmingly  on  the 
increase,  particularly  in  the  New  England  States.  Compe 
tent  authorities  say,  in  this  section  of  the  country  as  many 
as  "two  thousaiKrfamilies  are  broken  up,  every  year,"  as  the 
practical  result  of  the  free-and-easy  facilities  of  procuring 
divorces.  It  is  no  uncommon  sight  to  witness  a  mere  girl- 


176  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

wife,  sometimes  the  mother  of  one  or  two  children,  called  a 
"divorced  woman,"  and  oftentimes  she  seems  proud  of  the 
appellation  ;  though  invariably  the  young  wife  has  to  return 
home  to  her  father  and  mother,  or  perhaps  has  to  go  back  to 
the  old  drudgery  of  workship  or  mill,  which  she  thought  she 
had  escaped  from,  by  marrying  a  good  and  kind  husband. 
If  her  friends  are  in  a  well-to-do  position,  the  "divorced 
wife"  becomes  an  inmate  of  the  old  home,  and  lapses  into 
a  sort  of  domestic  eyesore.  The  husband,  be  he  young  or 
old,  feels  that  he  is  a  free  man  again,  can  flirt  with  other 
women,  and  the  world  smiles  benignly  on.  He  dreams  of 
his  late  marriage  as  a  kind  of  nightmare,  from  which  he  has 
so  easily  escaped  ;  never  thinking  of  the  young  girl,  in  the 
bloom  of  her  youth  and  freshness  of  her  early  life,  who  gave 
up  all  for  him,  left  a  good  home  and  kind  parents  — for 
what?  for  a  few  months  of  mockery,  called  marriage;  the 
sacred  bond  which  is  as  easily  annulled  and  broken  as  it 
was  made 

What  is  the  cause  of  divorces?  The  answer  given,  some 
times,  is  desertion,  neglect,  cruelty,  incompatibility  of  temper, 
and  many  other  causes,  the  chief  of  which  is  deception  one 
towards  the  other.  A  young  couple  will  court  a  few  months, 
arrange  to  marry,  and  in  many  cases  the  man  will  tell  an 
untruth  as  to  his  earnings  or  his  position  in  life  ;  the  honey 
moon  is  scarcely  over,  when  the  wife  finds  she  has  made"  a 
great  mistake  in  marrying  ;  she  is  no  better  off  than  when 
she  was  single  ;  she  cannot  even  dress  so  well  now,  out  of 
her  husband's  small  pittance  of  wages,  as  he  is  not  a  steady 
man,  which  she  finds  out  to  her  sorrow,  and  the  moody  wife 
feels  keenly  the  disappointment  of  her  early  discouraging 
life.  The  husband,  quick  at  discernment,  soon  perceives 
the  coldness  of  his  spouse,  and  the  estrangement  once  com 
menced,  soon  culminates  into  a  separation  or  divorce.  Or  it 
may  be  that  the  right  pair  have  not  come  together ;  one  may 
be  better  educated  than  the  other,  their  tastes  and  habits 
perhaps  totally  different;  and  the  spectacle  of  a  refined, 
cultured  woman  being  linked  to  a  coarse,  illiterate  man  is 
enough  to  make  a  reawakening  and  a  craving  to  be  free 
again.  Or  a  frivolous  couple  may  marry  after  a  few  weeks' 
courtship,  lire  of  one  another  in  as  many  months,  rake  up  a  • 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  177 

quarrel,  and  relatives  on  both  sides  advise  a  speedy  divorce. 
This  is  the  sad  sight  one  sees  every  day  in  New  England, 
the  section  of  the  country  where  it  is  supposed  the  inhabi 
tants  are  better  taught  in  the  world's  way  of  deportment  and 
learning  than  the  West  and  South  ;  and  if  the  number  of 
schools  and  churches  in  the  Eastern  States  were  of  any 
avail  to  keep  the  holy  words  and  sacred  ceremony  of  matri 
mony  before  one's  eyes,  then  indeed  marriage  laws  should 
be  looked  upon  as  a  serious,  religious  compact  to  be  invio 
lably  respected,  and  not  ruthlessly  trampled  on,  as  it  is  every 
day  of  our  lives.  What  an  example  to  the  rising  generation 
which  is  growing  up,  with  their  quick  ears  and  sharp  eyes, 
so  eager  to  learn  of  the  scandals  and  divorce  cases  heralded 
in  our  daily  journals  !  The  young  men  or  maidens  soon  pick 
up  the  levity  of  learning  how  to  get  rid  of  a  bad  bargain, 
when  their  time  comes  in  the  marriage  line.  The  moral  effects 
of  such  training  are  radically  bad,  and  if  not  checked  by  the 
Legislature  in  some  way,  the  consequences  will  be  that  the 
holy  bond  of  matrimony  will  be  held  by  some  with  as  little 
respect  as  among  the  savages,  out  West. 

The  eminent  divine,  Dr.  Dix,  of  Trinity  Church,  New 
York,  in  his  late  lectures  on  marriage,  alluded  most  strongly 
to  the  great  and  increasing  evil  of  divorce.  He  stated  some 
unpalatable  truths,  and  pronounced  some  principles  that  can 
not  be  set  forth  too  often  nor  too  strongly.  He  dwelt  with  all 
the  abhorrence  of  a  man  of  keen  moral  sensibilities  upon  the 
rapid  increase  of  divorce,  and  the  peril  to  society  which  it 
indicates.  He  spoke  in  withering  terms  of  the  record  New 
England  has  made,  calling  it  "  the  centre  of  this  moral  cess 
pool."  And  with  a  divorce  rate  of  one  to  every  fourteen 
marriages  in  Massachusetts,  one  to  every  eight  in  Connecti 
cut,  and  figures  almost  as  bad  in  the  other  States,  it  must  be 
confessed  that  his  burning  words  are  deserved.  Dr.  Dix 
thinks  that  marriage  is  coming  to  be  looked  upon  as  a  civil 
contract,  and  no  more.  "  The  notion,"  said  he,  "  that  mar 
riage  is  only  a  civil  contract,  terminable,  like  other  such  con 
tracts,  at  the  pleasure  and  convenience  of  the  parties,  is  and 
must  be  in  the  brain  of  every  advocate  and  approver  of 
divorce."  The  lecturer  went  on  to  say,  in  his  vigorous  style, 
that  if  the  New  England  States  go  oil  with  the  alarmingly 


178  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

increase  of  divorce,  he  declared,  in  his  opinion,  "  we  are  not 
much  better  than  the  Mormons." 

His  deductions  may  be  unpalatable,  but  the  operations 
of  the  divorce  laws  in  the  Eastern  States  prove  there  is  much 
truth  in  what  he  says.  A'  persistent  movement  to  obtain 
uniform  divorce  laws  in  all  the  States  is  about  the  only  legal 
remedy  which  would  have  any  efficacy.  Such  discussion 
of  the  question  as  that  given  by  Dr.  Dix  is  of  vastly  more 
benefit,  because  of  its  educational  value,  than  any  legislative 
enactment,  that  is  raised  above  the  convictions  of  the 
people. 

"  Life  is  like  a  game  of  chess  —  each  one  holds  his  rank, 
according  to  his  quality  ;  but  when  the  game  is  over,  kings, 
queens,  and  knights,  and  all  the  rest,  are  thrown  into  one 
common  box."  —  President  Grevy. 


PART   III. 


By   Steamer,  from  Boston  to   Baltimore. 

ON  leaving  Boston  Bay,  one  is  much  struck  by  the  pic 
turesque  beauty  of  the  numerous  little  islands  which  dot  its 
surface,  and  shine  in  the  sun's  rays,  looking  like  patches  of 
gold,  which  became  more  brilliant  as  the  fiery  circle  wei.t 
down,  and  all  except  their  own  crimsoned  tree  tops  were 
immersed  in  the  gloom  of  fast-approaching  night.  The  sun, 
indeed,  as  seen  at  sea,  either  when  it  rises  or  when  it  sets, 
is  a  sight  of  exquisite  beauty,  of  which  a  landsman  can 
scarcely  form  any  conception,  until  he  sees  it  declining,  like 
a  radiant  ball  of " fire,  and  finally  dipping  below  the  horizon, 
leaving  the  vast  expanse  in  the  gloaming  of  night.  Such 
was  our  first  evening ;  but  during  the  night  a  most  unfavora 
ble  change  took  place,  materially  subversive  of  our  personal 
comfort ;  for  the  rain  came  pouring  in  a  vast  deluge,  and  the 
wind  blew  in  fitful  gusts,  and  gave  every  indication  of  a 
rising  storm  ;  for  Cape  Cod  is  always  considered  a  rough 
coast,  at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  On  retiring  to  my  state 
room  cabin  for  the  night,  a  fearful  headache  and  nausea 
attacked  me,  with  the  usual  accompaniment  of  seasickness  ; 
and  truly  the  writer  wished  himself  anywhere  but  in  the  nar 
row  bed,  listening  to  the  howling  of  the  wind,  feeling  the 
vessel  pitching  and  tossing,  as  she  battled  with  the  elements, 
groaning  ever  and  anon  as  though  in  pain,  when  a  huge 
wave  gave  her  a  more  than  usually  powerful  broadside. 
This  trip  of  some  five  hundred  miles  to  Baltimore  is  very 
pleasant  in  fine  weather,  but  quite  the  reverse  in  a  gale  of 
wind.  After  passing  Cape  Cod,  which  has  such  a  world- 


180  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

wide  reputation  for  its  fishery,  and  Cape  Henry,  farther 
south,  we  next  passed  Smith's  Island,  and  finally  entered 
Chesapeake  Bay  and  the  Patapsco  River,  reaching  the  busy 
city  of  Baltimore  at  early  morning,  not  a  little  fatigued  by 
the  buffeting  we  had  endured  in  the  sea  trip  from  Boston. 

Baltimore,  "The  Monumental  City." 

Baltimore  is  a  city  of  large  and  increasing  dimensions, 
having  some  twenty  years  ago  a  population  of  about  140,000 
inhabitants,  while  to-day  the  census  estimate  of  June,  1890, 
presents  a  population  of  437,000  souls.  Thus  the  Monu 
mental  City  in  a  quarter  of  a  century  has  more  than  trebled 
its  rate  of  living  humanity,  and  steadily  grown  in  commerce 
and  favor. 

Baltimore  has  many  obelisks  and  landmarks,  foremost 
among  which  is  the  Washington  Monument,  a  marble  column 
one  hundred  and  sixty-three  feet  high,  surmounted  by  a 
colossal  figure  of  that  distinguished  general.  The  view  from 
the  top  of  this  eminence  is  most  magnificent,  looking  on  to 
the  adjacent  towns  and  villages  as  they  lay  extended  like  a 
map  at  our  feet ;  while  on  one  side  the  majestic  ocean  rolled 
in  calm  grandeur,  and  on  the  other,  the  fertile,  well-planted 
country  presented  to  our  view  a  panorama  of  no  ordinary 
kind,  extending  to  a  distance  of  many  miles. 

The  city  of  Baltimore  some  years  ago  had  forty  churches, 
of  all  denominations,  and  six  large  markets,  well  supplied 
with  meat,  fish,  and  vegetables  Much  fun  and  amusement 
were  created,  at  seeing  crowds  of  colored  people  catering  here 
for  their  masters  or  mistresses.  When  a  colored  girl  meets 
a  colored  man,  they  bow  and  courtesy  to  each  other  half  a 
dozen  times,  and  then  comes  a  series  of  giggles  and  hand 
shakings,  interspersed  with  questions  about  Uncle  Johnson, 
Cousin  Jackson,  and  numerous  other  darkies  of  their 
acquaintance. 

In  the  hotel  (the  Maltby  House)  where  we  stopped,  there 
was  some  fun  caused  by  the  hilarity  of  the  colored  waiters 
in  playing  jokes  on  one  another,  when  out  of  sight  of  their 
employers,  and  after  the  work  of  the  day  is  over.  One  poor 
fellow  was  beaten  by  a  brother  darkv  about  the  head  with  a 


E AMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  181 

broom,  till  his  skull  sounded  again,  and,  so  far  from  resenting 
it,  he  seemed  to  treat  it  as  an  excellent  practical  joke. 

Baltimore  has  extensive  railway  communication  with  all 
the  most  important  cities  of  the  Union ;  among  which  is  a 
branch  line  of  thirty -eight  miles  to  the  federal  capital  of  tliS 
United  States.  It  is  along  this  line  that  we  shall  now  con 
duct  the  reader. 

Washington  and  its  Capitol. 

This  celebrated  city  stands  on  an  elevated  point  of  land, 
formed  b}T  the  confluence  of  the  Potomac  and  Anacostia 
rivers,  and  covers  some  ten  or  twelve  square  miles,  with 
streets  regularly  laid  out,  crossing  each  other  at  right  angles, 
while  several  broad  avenues  and  well-planted  gardens  con 
nect  the  different  parts  of  the  city.  The  public  buildings 
have  all  the  splendor  becoming  a  great  nation.  The  Capitol, 
which  is  wholly  built  of  marble,  is  one  of  the  finest  senate  and 
congressional  houses  in  the  world,  and  cost  a  fabulous  sura 
of  money  in  building.  The  ground  on  which  it  stands  is 
elevated  seventy-three  feet  above  the  Potomac  River,  and 
commands  a  fine  prosprct  of  the  surrounding  country  ;  and 
the  building  covers  an  area  of  two  or  more  acres,  having  a 
frontage  of  three  hundred  and  fifty-two  feet,  surmounted  bv 
a  central  dome  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  high  ;  besides 
which,  there  are  two  smaller  cupolas  at  the  termination  of 
the  wings.  The  entrances  on  each  front  are  approached  by 
long  and  wide  flights  of  steps,  above  which  are  handsome 
Corinthian  porticos,  leading  to  the  rotunda,  immediately 
under  the  dome.  The  approach  to  this  hall  is  adorned  with 
sculptured  figures  of  "Peace  and  War";  events  in  the 
struggle  of  the  white  man  and  the  Indian ;  the  Pilgrims 
Landing  at  Plymouth  ;  Capt.  Smith  delivered  by  Pocahontas  ; 
Penn's  treaty  with  the  Indians ;  and  lastly,  a  noble,  colossal 
statue  of  George  Washington.  It  contains,  likewise,  in  the 
large  circular  dome,  panels  of  some  good  paintings,  on  sub 
jects  connected  with  American  history  ;  as  "•  The  Landing 
of  Columbus  in  1492  "  ;  the  discover}'  of  the  Mississippi,  in 
1541,  by  De  Soto  ;  the  embarkation  of  the  Pilgrims  from 
Delfthaven,  in  Holland,  July  21,  1020;  the  baptism  of 


182  RAMBLES    IN   AMERICA. 

Pocaliontas  in  1613;  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
at  Philadelphia,  July  4,  1776;  the  capture  of  Gen.  Bur- 
goyne,  at  Saratoga,  Oct.  17,  1777;  the  surrender  of  Lord 
Cornwallis  at  Yorktown,  October,  17^1;  and  Washing- 
^pu  resigning  his  Commission  to  Congress,  at  Annapolis, 
Dec.  23,  1785.  All  of  them  are  beautifully  executed,  and 
the  groups  of  figures  so  tastefully  and  naturally  arranged  by 
the  painter's  skill,  that  the  very  look  of  them  seemed  to  carry 
the  spectator  back  to  those  scenes  of  national  strife,  which 
caused  so  much  bloodshed  between  the  colonists  and  the 
mother  country.  We  need  scarcely  say  that  these  paintings 
form  a  leading  attraction  to  the  thousands  of  visitors  who 
throng  the  capital  during  the  session  of  Congress.  On  the 
west  of  the  rotunda  is  the  library,  with  its  many  thousands 
of  volumes,  arranged  in  arched  alcoves  ;  and  around  the 
room  are  three  tiers  of  galleries,  the  railings  of  which  are 
of  gilt  bronze,  having  a  very  gay  appearance. 

In  the  upper  part  of  the  south  wing  is  the  Hall  of  Repre 
sentatives,  a  semicircular  chamber  ninety  feet  long  and  sixty 
feet  high,  surmounted  by  a  dome,  supported  by  twenty-four 
Corinthian  pillars  of  variegated  and  white  Carrara  marble. 
The  Speaker's  chair  is  raised  above  the  floor  and  covered  by 
a  canopy,  beneath  which,  behind  the  chair,  is  the  statue  of 
"Liberty,"  while  over  the  door  is  another  of  "History," 
standing  on  a  winged  car,  covered  with  the  signs  of  the 
zodiac,  which  are  used  to  form  the  hours  of  a  clock. 

The  writer  having  a  letter  of  introduction  to  one  of  the 
members,  was,  through  his  influence,  seated  amongst  that 
august  body,  instead  of  the  galleiy  reserved  for  strangers. 
My  congressional  friend  pointed  out  the  leading  politicians 
of  "the  day,  as  the  orators  were  debating  their  different  views 
of  the  question  before  the  House. 

The  Senate  Chamber  is  in  the  second  story  of  the  north 
wing,  and  resembles  that  just  described,  except  in  being 
smaller,  as  sixty  senators  do  not  require  so  large  a  space  as 
two  hundred  and  sixty  members  of  the  House  of  Representa 
tives.  This,  the  superior  chamber,  is  also  more  splendidly 
furnished  than  the  other. 

My  kind  companion  introduced  us  to  the  Capitol  grounds, 
extending  over  many  acres  of  cultivated  gardens. 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  183 


The  White   House,  at  Washington. 

The  other  leading  public  edifice  is  the  White  House,  or 
official  residence  of  the  President  of  the  United  States. 
This  is  a  somewhat  unpretending  stone  building,  two  stories 
high.  The  apartments  within,  especially  the  largest  State 
rooms,  are  admirably  suited  to  their  purpose,  and  splendidly 
furnished.  The  mansion  stands  in  the  centre  of  cultivated 
gardens,  extending  down  to  the  banks  of  the  Potomac. 

The  narrator  of  these  pages  was  fortunate  in  being  at 
Washington  in  time  to  attend  the  President's  last  reception 
of  the  season.  On  entering,  we  were  received  with  entire 
absence  of  formality,  and  ushered,  along  with  a  stream  of 
visitors,  into  the  State  drawing-room,  luxuriously  furnished, 
and  lighted  with  numerous  chandeliers,  which  reflected  their 
brilliance  on  the  fair  guests  who  sat  around  the  apartment, 
arrayed  in  delicate  toilets  of  every  hue  and  color,  tastily 
contrasted  by  juxtaposition  with  the  more  sombre-colored 
apparel  of  the  sterner  sex.  The  reception  was  unusually 
crowded,  and  martial  music  was  played  during  the  evening, 
as  the  guests  paraded  around  the  spacious  State  apartment. 

The  President's  levee  was  held  in  a  smaller  adjoining  room, 
and  as  we  entered,  we  were  met  by  the  marshal,  who,  being 
apprised  of  my  name,  etc.,  introduced  me  to  the  President 
of  the  United  States,  who  advanced  with  a  polite  bow,  cor 
dially  shook  hands  with  me,  conversed  for  a  moment,  and 
we  bowed  and  passed  on,  to  make  room  for  the  numbers 
who  were  to  follow.  The  President's  lady  was  also  present, 
who  seemed  much  fatigued  with  the  duties  of  the  evening. 

During  the  session  of  Congress,  Washington  is  a  very  busy 
city.  All  the  hotels,  large  and  small,  are  crowded  with  mem 
bers  of  Congress  and  visitors  from  all  parts  of  the  Union. 

Mount  Vernon.  — Washington's  Tomb. 

A  steamboat,  starting  twice  a  week,  some  years  ago,  used  to 
convey  passengers  to  Mount  Vernon,  the  once  residence  and 
now  the  resting-place  of  the  immortal  George  Washington. 
The  departure  pier  at  the  city  of  Washington  was  crowded 
with  passengers  en  route  to  the  scene  and  home  of  America's. 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

great  patriot.  Mount  Vernon  is  situated  about  fifteen  miles 
from  the  city  of  Washington,  on  the  Potomac  River. 

It  was  a  lovely  May  morning,  warm  for  the  season,  and 
the  banks  of  the  calmly  flowing  Potomac  looked  bright  and 
beautiful,  both  on  the  Virginia  and  Maryland  shores;  while 
the  hills  in  the  background  on  either  side  seemed,  with,  their 
dark  forests,  to  set  off  the  light-green  trees  and  shrubberies 
nearer  the  river.  The  prospect,  as  we  glided  along  the  stream, 
was  very  enchanting  ;  now  pretty,  picturesque-looking  houses 
with  green  verandas  and  sun  blinds,  placed  in  the  midst  of 
trim,  neatly  cultivated  gardens,  would  meet  the  eye  ;  then 
thickly  planted  groves  of  pines,  oaks,  and  hickories,  and 
occasionally  a  mile  or  two  of  tobacco  plantation,  producing 
an  amount  of  the  fragrant  weed  larger,  perhaps,  than  is 
raised  in  any  part  of  the  world. 

On  landing  at.  Mount  Vernon,  and  pursuing  our  road 
towards  the  tomb  of  Washington,  it  was  with  no  ordinary 
emotion  that  we  approached  so  revered  a  spot;  and  one 
could  see  from  the  serious  looks  and  silent  footfalls  of  the 
visitors  how  great  was  their  veneration  for  a  place  made 
sacred  by  being  the  depository  of  all  that  remains  on  earth 
of  America's  immortal  patriot  general,  George  Washington, 
and  his  beloved  wife,  Martha. 

The  monument  covering  the  vault  in  which  his  remains  were 
deposited  (Dec.  11,  1800)  is  a  plain  building,  being  within 
the  grounds  attached  to  the  house  ;  and  if  any  one  would 
form  an  adequate  idea  of  the  real  but  unpretentious  great 
ness  of  his  character,  we  would  recommend  him  to  take  a 
trip  down  the  beautiful  Potomac  to  Mount  Vernon,  and  as 
he  passes  through  the  pleasure-grounds,  notice  the  quiet, 
unassuming  style  in  which  the  great  general  lived  when 
relieved  from  the  cares  of  the  army  and  State.  At  the  time 
of  the  writer's  visit,  some  years  ago,  the  mansion  remained 
much  as  it  was  left  by  Washington  ;  it  may  be  all  dismantled 
now. 

The  narrator  has  lately  seen  the  magnificent  mausoleum 
of  the  illustrious  Wellington  and  Nelson  in  St.  Paul's  Cathe 
dral,  London,  England,  and  the  crypt  which  contains  the 
remains  of  the  great  Napoleon  I.,  at  the  palace  of  Invalides, 
in  Paris,  of  such  solemn  grandeur ;  but  the  quaint,  plain 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 


185 


stone  outline  of  all  that  remains  of  George  Washington  tells 
its  own  story  in  the  couplet  by  the  writer.  Peace  to  the 
memory  of  the  great  and  good  man  whose  ashes  rest  at 
Mount  Vernon,  and  around  whose  shrine  reposes  truth  and 
virtue. 


A  Trip  to  a  Tobacco  Plantation. 

Being  anxious  to  make  some  acquaintance  with  the  pro 
cess  of  cultivating  the  tobacco  plant,  we  took  the  ferry  on 
the  eastern  branch,  with  the  view  of  visiting  some  tobacco 
farms  on  the  Maryland  side  of  the 
Potomac  River.  The  following  obser 
vations,  made  chiefly  on  the  spot,  of 
the  culture  and  manufacture  of  to 
bacco,  will,  I  trust,  be  considered  to 
furnish  some  useful  information  on 
the  subject  of  the  much-used  tobacco 
plant,  find  its  cultivation  in  Maryland 
and  Virginia. 

Tobacco,  or  tobasco  (so  called  from 
a  province  of  Yucatan,  whence  the 
Spaniards  first  adopted  the  name), 
was  originally  imported  to  Europe  in 
the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
and  the  Englishman  who  introduced 
it  into  Great  Britain  was  the  cele 
brated  traveller,  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  about  the  year  1585  ; 
he  being  the  first  to  introduce  the  practice  of  smoking  this 
narcotic  plant.  When  or  how  its  use  came  into  vogue  among 
the  Eastern  nations  is  not  certainly  known ;  but  they  have 
adopted  it  for  several  centuries,  perhaps  even  before  the  dis 
covery  of  America  by  the  Western  nations. 

Tobacco  is  sometimes  used  medicinally,  but  its  employ 
ment  in  that  way  requires  extreme  caution.  It  is  far  more 
commonly  used  either  as  a  stimulant  and  sternutatory  in  the 
shape  of  snuff,  or  as  a  masticatory,  by  chewing  it  in  the 
mouth,  or  as  a  sedative  vapor  inhaled  in  smoking ;  and  in 
the  last  of  these  ways  it  is  supposed,  by  many,  to  furnish 
innocent  and  legitimate  recreation,  when  used  in  modera- 


186  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

tion.  At  all  events,  thirty  million  pounds  of  tobacco  are 
annually  consumed  in  the  British  dominions,  realizing  for 
the  government  a  revenue  of  more  than  five  millions  ster 
ling,  —  a  pretty  strong  proof  that  the  weed  is  held  in  high 
estimation  by  vast  numbers  in  every  class  of  Britishers. 
Nay,  even  the  red  Indians,  in  the  countries  where  tobacco 
is  indigenous,  consider  it  the  choicest  offering  they  can 
make  to  their  gods,  and  use  it  in  all  their  civil  and  religious 
ceremonies  ;  besides  which,  they  deem  any  compact  or  treaty 
made  over  the  calumet,  or  pipe  of  peace,  as  sacred  and 
inviolable.  Smoking,  however,  though  the  first,  is  not  the 
only  mode  of  using  it ;  for  the  juices  extracted  by  chewing 
have  been  deemed  by  some  to  possess  a  cordial  quality,  for 
alleviating  fatigue  and  hunger  (be  that  as  it  may,  the  un 
healthy  appearance  of  inveterate  tobacco  chewers  bespeak  it 
as  a  practice  attended  with  baneful  effects  to  the  constitution 
of  man). 

Culture  and  Manufacture  of  Tobacco. 

For  the  purpose  of  chewing,  the  inhabitants  of  the  settle 
ments  in  the  interior  of  America  manufacture  it  by  a  very 
simple  process  —  spinning  the  leaves,  when  properly  cured, 
by  means  of  a  wheel,  into  a  twist,  thicker  or  thinner  as  may 
be  required,  and  then  folding  into  rolls  of  about  twenty 
pounds  each,  to  be  ready  for  use.  In  this  state  it  will  keep 
for  many  years,  becoming  milder  by  age.  When  wanted,  it 
is  cut  off  in  lengths  for  chewing  ;  or  broken  into  small  bits 
of  shreds  for  smoking  ;  or,  thirdly,  placed  in  moderately 
small  pieces  near  a  fire,  and  then  pounded  or  rubbed  to  a 
powder  for  snuff. 

The  tobacco  plant  is  cultivated  in  Asia  as  well  as  America, 
but  by  far  the  largest  quantity  sent  to  Great  Britain  consists 
of  the  unmanufactured  leaves  exported  from  Maryland  and 
Virginia,  in  which  States  alone  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty  million  pounds  are  raised,  either  for  home  or  foreign 
consumption  —  about  two  thirds  of  the  quantity  exported 
being  sent  to  Germany  and  Holland. 

The  hospitable  planter  at  whose  house  I  was  staying 
informed  me  that  I  was  rather  too  early  in  the  year  (May) 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  187 

to  see  the  tobacco  plant  as  it  ought  to  be  seen  by  strangers, 
unaware  of  the  rapidity  of  its  growth  ;  but  we  shall  give  the 
result  of  his  descriptions,  adding  facts  also  which  I  gleaned 
upon  the  spot.  It  appears  there  are  several  species  of  the 
tobacco  plant,  distinguishable  chiefly  by  their  flowers,  and 
the  way  in  which  the  leaves  are  inserted  into  the  stalks. 

The  two  kinds  most  cultivated  are  the  "  Oronokoe"  and 
the  >k  sweet-scented,"  which  differ  from  each  other  only  in 
the  shape  of  their  leaves  —  those  of  the  former  being  larger 
and  narrower.  Both  are  tall,  herbaceous  plants,  of  erect 
growth  and  noble  foliage,  rising  in  their  native  soil  to  a 
height  of  seven  and  sometimes  nine  feet,  while  the  stalk, 
covered  with  a  green,  velvet- textured,  clammy  coating,  is 
upwards  of  an  inch  in  diameter  near  the  root.  The  leaves, 
which  are  of  a  spear-shaped  oval,  have  a  dark-green  hue, 
and  without  pedicles,  embracing  the  stalk  by  an  auriculated 
base,  and  grow  alternately  either  side  of  it,  at  a  distance 
of  two  or  three  inches  from  each  other.  The  largest  leaves 
are  about  twent}r  inches  long,  but  they  decrease  in  size  as 
they  ascend,  till  they  are  not  more  than  ten  inches  long  and 
four  broad.  The  leaves,  however,  in  their  earlier  stage,  of 
growth,  are  not  more  than  six  inches  long,  of  a  full-green1 
hue,  and  rather  smooth  in  texture,  the  roughness  and  yel 
lowish  hue  being  the  result  of  age.  The  stalk  of  the  plant 
is  terminated  upwards  by  large  bunches  of  flowers,  collected 
in  clusters,  of  a  delicate  red  hue,  with  edges,  when  quite 
blown,  inclining  to  a  pale  purple  ;  and  these  flowers  succeed 
one  another  till  the  end  of  summer,  when  they  make  room 
for  the  seeds,  which  are  very  small,  kidney-shaped,  and  of  a 
brown  color;  each  capsule  containing  about  1,000,  and  a 
single  plant  producing  about  350,000  seeds,  which  are  ripe 
about  September,  and  when  dried,  are  kept  in  bags  for  the 
following  season. 

The  Oronokoe  —  or,  as  the  seedsmen  call  it,  the  long  Vir 
ginia  tobacco  —  is  better  suited  to  northern  climates,  as  the 
plant  is  stronger,  and  the  leaves  have  a  richer  fragrance  and 
potency  than  in  the  other  kind  ;  the  sweet-scented,  which 
flourishes  mostly  in  sandy  soil  and  warm  climates,  growing 
also  with  greater  rapidity  than  the  former,  and  being  alto 
gether  much  milder  and  more  agreeable  in  flavor.  Lastly, 


188  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

the  Nicotiana  is  much  cultivated  as  an  annual  garden  plant ; 
for  it  attains  a  majestic  height,  and  exhibits  a  most  elegant 
appearance,  with  its  fine,  luxuriant  leaves,  and  large  clus 
ters  of  flowers  crowning  the  summit  of  each  individual  stalk. 

The  best  ground  for  the  tobacco  plant  is  a  warm,  rich 
soil,  not  subject  to  be  overrun  with  weeds  ;  and  in  Virginia, 
that  most  usually  chosen  is  a  warm  but  light,  sandy  soil,  the 
best  situation  for  a  plantation  being  the  southern  declivity 
of  a  hill,  or  some  spot  by  a  wall  or  bank,  sheltered  from  the 
keen  winds  of  the  spring  months.  The  plants,  however, 
must  at  the  same  time  enjoy  a  free  current  of  air,  or  else 
they  will  not  thrive. 

The  tobacco  plant,  being  an  annual,  is  of  course  raised  ex 
clusively  from  seeds ;  and  great  care  must  be  taken  in  pur 
chasing  the  same,  for  the  sowing  of  bad  seed  often  results 
in  the  loss  of  the  expected  crop.  The  good  and  bad,  how 
ever,  are  not  distinguishable  by  the  eye  ;  and  if  the  planter 
be  not  provided  with  seed  of  his  own  raising,  he  must  rely 
solely  on  the  honor  and  principle  of  the  seedsman.  The 
seeds  are  sown  early  in  April,  -in  beds  prepared  for  the  pur 
pose,  with  warm,  rich  manure  ;  and  in  case  of  frost,  after 
the  seeds  have  begun  to  germinate,  mats  must  be  thrown 
over  the  beds  at  night,  supported  by  poles  at  such  a  height 
as  not  to  crush  the  infant  plant,  but  again  removed  soon  after 
sunrise,  that  the  sun  and  air  may  exercise  as  much  as  possi 
ble  their  maturing  influence.  This  is  continued  till  the  plant 
has  attained  a  height  of  about  two  inches,  which  it  reaches 
in  a  month  from  the  time  of  sowing,  when  the  period  arrives 
for  transplanting. 

The  transplanting  is  done  about  the  middle  of  May,  much 
in  the  same  manner  as  we  do  with  lettuce  ;  the  ground  is 
carefully  prepared  for  the  plant  by  being  ploughed  or  dug  up, 
and  made  as  mellow  and  .light  as  possible  with  good  vege 
table  manure.  Great  attention  must  also  be  paid  at  this  time 
to  keep  the  earth  soft  and  free  from  weeds,  taking  care  to 
prune  off  any  dead  leaves  adhering  to  the  bases  of  the  stalks  ; 
and  when  the  plants  begin  to  flower,  cutting  off  the  heads,  so 
that  only  twelve  or  sixteen  of  the  leaves  may  be  left  to  re 
ceive  the  whole  nutriment,  and  thus  become  larger  and  thicker. 
When  the  tobacco  is  intended  to  be  a  little  stronger  than 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  189 

usual,  only  twelve  are  allowed  to  remain  ;  when  unusually 
powerful,  only  ten  or  eleven  ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  if 
the  planter  wishes  to  have  an  especially  mild  crop,  he  suffers 
from  eighteen  to  twenty  leaves  to  remain  on  the  stalks.  This 
operation  is  called"  topping  the  tobacco,"  and  is  much  better 
done  by  the  finger  and  thumb  than  with  an}T  instrument,  be 
cause  with  the  former,  the  pores  of  the  plant  can  be  closed 
up  at  the  time  of  plucking  the  leaf,  which  cannot  be  done  with 
the  latter,  the  consequence  being,  that  the  juices  of  the  plant 
are  impaired. 

When  the  tobacco  plant  has  reached  maturity,  and  is  fit 
for  gathering,  the  stalks  are  severed  as  near  as  possible  to 
the  root,  this  work  being  usually  done  a  little  before  sunrise, 
on  days  that  promise  to  be  fine.  Thus  far  accomplished,  they 
are  placed  carefully  "on  the  ground,  and  there  allowed  to  re 
main  exposed  to  the  sun  throughout  the  day,  or,  at  all  events, 
until  the  leaves  have  been  entirely  wilted,  that  is,  made  lim 
ber  and  flexible,  so  as  to  bend  any  way  without  breaking. 
Should  there,  however,  be  heavy  and  continuous  rain,  when 
the  plants  get  ripe,  they  must  be  cut  down  and  housed  with 
all  possible  despatch.  The  places  in  which  they  are  thus 
sheltered  are  barns  or  sheds,  on  the  floors  of  which  the  plants 
are  thinly  scattered,  until  the  leaves  become  limber,  and  then 
laid  in  heaps  to  ferment,  care  being  taken  to  turn  them  about 
occasionally,  in  order  that  the  whole  may  be  equally  fer 
mented  ;  and  the  longer  they  lie  in  this  condition,  the  darker 
will  the  color  of  the  tobacco  become.  This  process  is  termed 
''sweating  the  tobacco."  The  plants,  after  lying  thus  for 
about  three  or  four  days,  are  next  laid  in  a  heap,  and  pressed 
down  with  heavy  logs  for  about  a  week  ;  and  while  the  tobacco 
is  in  this  state,  the  planter  usually  introduces  his  hand  into 
the  middle  of  the  heap,  in  order  to  ascertain  that  there  is  no 
excess  of  heat ;  should  it  be  so,  some  of  the  pressure  is  re 
moved,  great  care  being  taken  with  this  stage  of  the  process, 
as  on  the  right  or  wrong  performance  mainly  depends  the 
excellence  or  inferiority  of  the  tobacco. 

When  this  process,  termed  the  u  second  or  last  sweating," 
has  been  gone  through,  the  leaves  are  stripped  from  the 
stalks,  after  which  they  (the  leaves)  are  tied  up  in  bunches 
or  hands,  which,  after  being  sprinkled  with  sea  or  common 


190  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

water,  are  twisted  into  rolls,  and  in  that  shape  exported  to 
Europe  or  elsewhere.  Some  persons,  however,  substitute 
cider  or  white  wine  for  water,  with  the  view  of  giving  the 
tobacco  a  finer  flavor. 

-  The  tobacco  plant,  moreover,  is  subject  to  the  ravages  of 
a  most  destructive  insect,  called  the  tobacco  worm,  to  protect 
it  against  which  is  one  of  the  chief  concerns  of  the  cultiva 
tor.  To  destroy  these  insects,  or  at  least  to  keep  them  under 
(for  it  is  quite  impossible  to  exterminate  them  altogether), 
every  leaf  is  carefully  searched,  and  as  soon  as  one  is  found 
to  be  wounded,  the  cause  of  it  is  at  once  destroyed  ;  and  so 
rapid  are  the  ravages  they  commit,  that  without  constant 
vigilance  against  their  attacks,  whole  fields  of  plants  would 
soon  be  ravaged  ;  nay,  even  if  any  be  left  on  the  leaves 
during  the  curing  process,  they  prove  equally  destructive. 
These  vermin  are  found  chiefly  in  July  and  August,  and 
the  method  of  getting  rid  of  them  is  called  "  worming  the 
tobacco  "  The  insect  is  of  a  peculiar  horned  species,  but  in 
what  way  it  is  produced  or  propagated  is  unknown.  It  is 
first  discernible  when  the  plants  have  gained  about  half 
their  height,  when  the  little  creature  appears  as  large  as  a 
gnat;  after  which  it  lengthens  out  to  the  size  of  a  worm, 
and  at  last  attains*  the  magnitude  of  a  man's  finger.  It 
is  of  regular  shape  from  head  to  tail,  indented  or  ringed 
round  at  equal  distances,  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  apart, 
at  each  of  which  indentations  a  pair  of  claws  spring  out, 
by  means  of  which  it  clings  to  the  leaf  of  the  plant.  Its 
mouth,  which  resembles  that  of  a  caterpillar,  is  placed  under 
the  fore  part  of  the  head,  the  top  of  which  is  crowned  by  a 
sharp-pointed,  stiff  horn,  of  a  brown  color,  and  about  half 
an  inch  long  The  color  of  the  worm  is  in  general  green, 
interspersed  with  yellowish  white,  and  the  body  is  covered, 
like  the  caterpillars,  with  short,  fine  hair. 

Having  thus  attempted  to  describe  the  culture  and  mode 
of  curing  the  tobacco  plant,  which  is  a  subject  of  no  little 
interest,  on  account  of  the  great  commercial  importance  of 
the  product,  I  shall  return  to  my  kind  host  and  his  family, 
from  whom,  in  the  several  walks  that  we  took  together 
around  the  plantation,  the  scribe  gained  most  of  the  above 
particulars.  Finally,  on  taking  leave  of  my  generous  enter- 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  191 

tainers,  they  —  though  I  was  a  perfect  stranger  —  warmly 
pressed  me  to  renew  my  visit  at  my  earliest  convenience ; 
and  after  being  carried  to  the  ferry  station  by  a  fleet  horse 
and  wagon,  I  stepped  on  board  the  ferry-boat  en  route  to  the 
Potomac  steamer,  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  and  ere 
long  was  once  more  at  my  hotel  in  Washington,  not  a  little 
pleased  at  having  so  agreeable  a  time,  and  gaining  so  much 
valuable  information  respecting  the  tobacco  plantations  of 
Maryland  and  Virginia. 

Railway  Trip  to  Philadelphia. 

Our  stay  at  Washington  being  ended,  we  boarded  the  cars, 
en  route  to  Philadelphia,  and  speedily  rattled  the  train  on  its 
way  to  Baltimore.  Along  the  road  might  be  seen  various 
groups  of  colored  men,  playing  foot-ball  and  other  games, 
which  gave  the  swarthy  players  ample  opportunity  for  laugh 
ing,  jumping,  leaping,  capering,  and  the  thousand  other  antics 
which  colored  people  are  so  fond  of  exhibiting.  In  the  shunt 
ing  of  cars  across  some  parts  of  the  suburbs  of  Baltimore, 
years  ago,  mules  used  to  be  brought  into  requisition  ;  and  it 
was  fine  fun  for  the  darkies,  cracking  their  whips  to  accel 
erate  the  speed  of  their  four-in-hand  .team,  with  exclama 
tions  such  as,  "Get  up,  Miss  Nancy  !  "  "•  Go  along,  Massa 
Pete  !  "  and  soon,  according  to  the  animal's  name.  We  were 
much  diverted  on  our  way  by  the  sight  of  numerous  grinning, 
sable  Dinahs,  with  grotesque-looking  turbans  on  their  heads, 
of  nearly  every  color  and  design,  with  little  pickaninnies 
capering  around  them,  as  only  negro  children  can  caper. 

At  length  we  reached  the  farther  suburb,  the  engine  was 
again  attached,  and  away  we  went  into  the  open  country, 
being  speedily  removed  from  the  gaze  of  the  hundreds  of 
dark  eyes  that  watched  the  cars.  We  crossed  several  sec 
tions  of  rivers  and  lakes,  which,  as  we  hung  over  them,  as  it 
were,  in  the  dim  twilight,  looked  anything  but  pleasant ; 
for  if  any  casualty  had  occurred  to  the  train,  in  all  probability 
a  watery  grave  would  have  ended  the  joys  and  sorrows  of 
most  of  us. 

We  may  mention  here,  that  twilight  in  America  is  not  of 
such  duration  as  in  some  parts  of  Europe.  Nor  will  we  go 


192  EAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

to  the  length  of  the  Irishman,  just  landed,  who,  seeing  the 
moon  at  its  full,  confidently  told  a  companion  that  the  moon 
in  America  was  not  as  good  as  that  in  Ireland,  sure.  But 
it  is  very  noticeable  how  short  are  the  twilights  on  this  conti 
nent,  almost  suddenly  changing  from  partial  day  to  the 
sable  darkness  of  night. 

We   had   now   reached   the   State   of   Pennsylvania,  first 
settled   by  the  celebrated  Quaker,  William   Penn,  in   1680, 
and  so  well  known  for  the  important  part  this  State  played 
in  the  great  struggle  with  England  for  American  independ 
ence.     Pennsylvania  is  rich  in  natural  resources,  being  abun 
dantly  provided  with  valuable  iron  ore,  almost  inexhaustible 
fields  of  bituminous  and  anthracite  coal,  with  salt,  limestone, 
oil,  and  other  mineral  riches.    The  anthracite  coal  burns  simi 
lar  to  coke,  without  smoke  or  flame  (unlike  the  bituminous  or 
soft  coal) ,  and  evolving  sulphurous  vapors,  to  obviate  injury 
from  which,  most  housekeepers  use  an  iron  vessel  filled  with 
water  on  the  top  of  the  stove,  for  the  purpose  of  collecting 
and   consuming  the  fumes  on  its   surface.     At  Pittsburg, 
bituminous  coal  is  very  largely  used  for  smelting  purposes. 
We  now  changed  cars  for  a  short  steamboat  ride  across  a 
river ;  after  about  an  half -hour's  journey  on  the  water,  we 
again  take  the  cars,  having  had  good  opportunity  for  refresh 
ment   on  board.     On  we  rattled  toward  the  Quaker  City, 
which  we  reached  a  little  before  midnight.     Ere  we  arrived, 
our  attention  was  called  rather  amusingly  to  an  altercation 
in  the  cars,  about  a   seat,   which  a  young  passenger  had 
unconsciously  taken  from  an  irascible  old  gentleman,   who 
would  take  no  apology,  but  proceeded  to  high  words  and 
gesticulations,  and  even  when  somewhat  appeased  by  the 
other's  deprecatory  tone,  kept  mumbling  and  grumbling  till 
he  fell  asleep. 

On  arriving  at  Philadelphia,  the  writer  went  to  a  very 
pleasant  hotel  near  the  Exchange  building,  quite  central  in 
its  location  to  all  places  of  interest.  Not  to  tire  the  reader's 
patience  too  much,  a  brief  description  may  not  be  uninter 
esting.  Philadelphia  is  the  third  city  in  the  Union,  and 
quoted  in  1890  at  approaching  900,000  in  population.  It 
stands  on  a  somewhat  elevated  plain,  about  three  miles  from 
the  confluence  of  the  Delaware  and  Schuylkill,  and  extends 


KAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  193 

from  one  to  the  other,  nearly  two  miles  in  breadth,  running 
also  four  miles  along  the  Delaware,  which  is  here  one  hun 
dred  and  twenty  miles  from  the  ocean.  The  plan  of  the 
city  is  formal,  like  some  others  in  America,  and  is  nearly  a 
parallelogram,  having  the  Delaware  on  the  east,  Schuylkill 
on  the  west,  Vine  and  Cedar  streets  being  the  boundaries 
north  and  south.  The  two  principal  thoroughfares  are 
Market  and  Broad  streets,  which  cross  each  other  almost  at 
right  angles,  and  divide  the  city  into  four  nearly  equal  sec 
tions  ;  but  the  great  resorts  of  fashion  are  Chestnut  and 
Walnut  streets,  which  contain  the  leading  stores. 

Sitting  on  a  rock  in  one  of  the  pretty,  ornamental,  square 
enclosures,  the  narrator  felt  a  curious  sensation,  as  if  some 
thing  larger  than  a  spider  or  mosquito  was  stealthily  climb 
ing  up  one's  back,  and  on  hastily  rising,  found  that  we  Had 
disturbed  a  fine  squirrel,  who,  however,  came  in  front  of  us, 
nothing  daunted,  and  begged  for  biscuits  or  crackers,  nutst 
etc.,  usually  given  to  these  pretty  creatures  by  good-natured 
loungers.  The  little  animal  became  very  friendly,  leaped 
into  our  lap,  and  extended  his  paws  for  the  accustomed 
donation.  Patting  and  stroking  would  not  do,  so  he  speedily 
ensconced  himself  on  some  one  else's  lap,  who  had  come 
provided  with  offerings  for  our  little  friend. 

To  endeavor  to  enumerate  the  many  excellent  buildings 
and  institutions  would  only  weary  the  reader,  but  one  that 
cannot  be  overlooked  we  shall  now  describe. 

Girard  College* 

Girard  College,  situated  about  a  mile  from  the  city  proper, 
is  a  magnificent  orphan  school,  founded  by  a  bequest  of 
more  than  two  millions  of  dollars,  left  by  the  late  Stephen 
Girard,  by  birth  a  Frenchman,  but  who  came  out  to  America 
in  early  life,  as  a  friendless,  deserted  boy.  His  first  situa 
tion  was  as  a  lawyer's  junior  clerk,  or  shop  lad,  to  sweep  out 
the  office  and  make  himself  generally  useful.  As  he  grew 
up,  by  indomitable  perseverance  and  strict  integrity  he  rose 
step  by  step,  acquiring  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  his 
employers,  till  at  last  he  became  connected  with  the  most 
extensive  transactions  of  commercial  enterprise  in  the  United 


194  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA  - 

States.  In  fact,  in  the  course  of  a  few  years,  the^poor, 
friendless  boy  had  by  his  own  unaided  efforts  become  mer-' 
chant,  ship-owner,  and  millionnaire. 

During  the  insurrection  and  massacre  of  St.  Domingo,  in 
1806,  the  wealthier  inhabitants  sent  their  valuables  on  board 
of  the  ships  lying  at  that  port,  Mr.  Girard  being  the  owner 
of  the  vessels.  The  revolt  against  the  French  tyrant, 
Dessalines,  happened  sooner  than  was  expected,  and  most 
of  the  citizens  were  slain  in  the  sanguinary  tumults  which 
ensued.  The  property  on  board  Mr.  Girard's  vessels  was 
duly  advertised  ;  but  alas,  the  owners  were  no  more  ;  so,  after 
allowing  the  usual  time  to  elapse  for  claimants  to  appear, 
the  property  in  due  course  became  his.  What  he  did  with  the 
bulk  of  it  is  sufficiently  apparent  from  the  erection  of  this 
magnificent  college  for  fatherless  children. 

Some  time  during  our  visit  there  were  five  hundred  boys 
clothed,  boarded,  and  educated  in  all  the  branches  of  liberal 
learning  at  the  expense  of  the  founder,  and  we  were  informed 
there  are  surplus  funds  for  one  hundred  more  children,  were 
there  sufficient  accommodation  of  extra  buildings.  Singu 
larly  enough,  in  his  will,  Girard  expressly  stipulated  that  no 
ecclesiastic,  missionary,  or  minister  should  hold  any  appoint 
ment  in  the  college,  or  be  admitted,  on  any  pretext,  even  as 
a  visitor,  within  its  precincts.  This  restriction  seemed  to 
intimate  a  wish  in  the  founder  to  exclude  the  object  of  his 
charity  from  all  religious  education ;  but  the  difficulty  was 
got  over,  by  liberally  interpreting  a  clause  in  the  deed, 
directing  that  ' '  all  pains  should  be  taken  to  instill  in  the 
minds  of  the  scholars  the  purest  principles  of  morality." 
From  this  it  was  inferred  that  he  had  no  intention  of  exclud 
ing  the  use  of  the  Bible  ;  and  hence  the  directors  bound  the 
president  of  the  college  to  hold  family  worship  twice  a  day, 
and  to  perform  divine  service,  either  himself  or  by  some 
lay  deputy,  twice  on  each  Sunday. 

The  building  consists  of  a  central  mansion,  with  a  long 
portico,  surrounded  by  a  colonnade  of  Corinthian  pillars ; 
besides  which,  there  are  two  other  buildings  or  wings  at  the 
sides  ;  the  whole  are  constructed  of  the  purest  white  marble. 
The  establishment  is  divided  into  five  sections,  four  of  which 
are  for  the  accommodation  of  the  boys  and  the  numerous 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  195 

teachers  and  officers.  The  dining-halls  are  very  spacious, 
and  a  great  array  of  knives,  forks,  plates,  etc.,  are  laid  to 
receive  the  viands  at  each  meal.  The  bedrooms  are  light  and 
airy,  and  with  the  bed  linen,  scrupulously  clean  ;  the  soldier 
like  regularity  of  the  wash-room  was  noticeable,  along  which, 
on  each  side,  hung,  on  their  respective  pegs,  long  lines  of 
bright  bowls,  with  their  necessary  adjuncts  of  soap,  towel, 
and  tooth-brush,  with  a  faucet  for  each  boy  to  stand  at, 
while  performing  his  ablutions.  The  exceeding  regularity 
of  these  arrangements  convinced  one  that  nothing  had  been 
neglected  that  could  conduce  to  the  welfare  of  these  father 
less  children. 

The  several  schools  are  judiciously  arranged  with  reference 
to  the  capacity  of  scholars,  so  that  each  one  has  a  fair  chance 
of  bringing  out  his  talents  under  competent  instructors, 
either  in  the  rudimental  or  advanced  branches  of  learning, 
the  foreign  languages,  or  the  arts  and  sciences. 

At  length  the  time  for  recreation  arrived,  when  the  boys 
were  .allowed  to  leave  their  studies  for  a  twenty-minutes' 
recess  ;  such  gambols,  capering,  and  half- mad  vagaries  were 
truly  diverting,  causing  one  to  think  how  great  were  the 
blessings  conferred  by  this  noble  institution  on  so  many 
friendless  children,  who,  but  for  it,  might  have  been  wan 
dering  the  streets,  associating  with  the  worst  characters,  and 
finally  have  become  inmates  of  prisons,  or  outcasts  from  the 
world. 

May  such  colleges  be  found  in  every  land,  training  up 
youths  to  become  honest,  useful  citizens,  whether  in  profes 
sions  or  trades,  honorable  merchants,  or  enterprising  capital 
ists,  like  the  noble-minded  founder  himself,  whose  marble 
statue  adorns  the  entrance  hall. 

We  may  add,  in  closing,  that  Philadelphia  has  three  hun 
dred  and  fifty-two  miles  of  street  railway,  at  the  present 
time. 

Jersey   City. 

A  ride  of  about  four  hours  by  rail  and  boat  brought  us  to 
Jersey  City,  which  lies  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Hudson, 
just  opposite  New  York.  The  neighborhood  is  very  fertile, 


196  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

and  furnishes  the  markets  of  the  Empire  City  with  dairy 
produce,  vegetables,  and  fruits,  especially  peaches,  of  a 
most  delicious  flavor,  immense  quantities  of  which  are  daily 
sent  across  the  Hudson.  On  our  arrival  we  crossed  at  once 
to  New  York  to  see  a  friend,  who  being  busy,  gave  me  the 
address  of  his  residence  in  Jersey  City,  kindly  bidding  me 
to  stay  with  him  for  a  few  days.  Wishing,  however,  to  go 
to  the  Italian  opera  at  the  Academy  of  Music,  near  Broad 
way,  it  was  arranged  that  after  the  performance  was  over,  I 
should  recross  the  ferry  and  join  my  entertainer  at  supper. 


A  Misadventure. 

After  the  opera,  I  crossed  the  river,  as  agreed ;  but  judge 
of  my  confusion,  kind  reader,  when  the  realization  came  of 
having  lost  my  friend's  address,  as  I  was  totally  unac 
quainted  with  the  localities  of  Jersey  City,  besides  it  being 
near  midnight.  Memory,  however,  served  me  with  part  of 
the  address,  and  seeing  a  house,  where  I  thought  my  friend 
lived,  gayly  lighted  up,  I  gave  a  loud  knock  at  the  door. 
My  embarrassment  was  not  diminished  when  the  door  was 
opened  by  an  elderly  gentleman,  quite  a  stranger  to  me, 
and  I  found  that  I  had  disturbed  a  pleasant  evening  party. 
Confused  at  the  mistake,  I  apologized  and  withdrew,  though 
not  before  I  had  received  the  earnest  commiseration  of  one 
of  the  most  charming  and  beautiful  young  ladies  my  eyes 
had  ever  beheld,  whose  image,  as  I  now  write,  seems  indeli 
bly  before  me,  in  her  floating  white  drapery,  her  fair  blond 
hair  in  luxuriant  waves  falling  around  her  shapely  neck,  and 
the  sweet  vivacity  of  manner  as  she  kindly  welcomed  the 
belated  traveller  to  rest  in  her  father's  house  for  a  while. 
All  this,  after  a  lapse  of  years,  is  vividly  engraven  on  one's 
memory,  enough  to  make  him  exclaim,  with  the  poet 
Byron :  — 

"  Sweet  girl,  though  only  once  we  met, 
That  meeting  I  shall  ne'er  forget. 
I  woiild  not  say  —  I  loved ;  but  still 
My  senses  struggled  with  my  will. 
Perhaps  it  was  not  love ;  but  yet 
Our  meeting  I  shall  ne'er  forget." 


RAMBLES    IN    AMEKICA.  197 

At  last,  tired  and  dispirited,  I  found  my  way  through  the 
darkness  to  a  hotel  near  the  ferry  pier.  In  the  office  I 
noticed  several  sleepy  drovers  and  cattle  jobbers,  awaiting 
the  arrival  of  the  cattle- cars.  The  hotel  clerk  stared  at  the 
paflid,  weary  countenance  before  him,  and  seemed  half 
inclined  to  refuse  the  bed  and  shelter  asked  for,  but  at  last 
he  showed  me  to  a  small  bedroom  and  waited  for  payment 
of  the  night's  lodging,  which  I  handed  him  with  a  smile, 
quite  convinced  that  if  I  had  gone  to  a  wrong  house  before, 
I  had  now,  at  all  events,  gone  to  a  wrong  hotel.  Fatigued 
and  vexed  with  myself,  I  retired  at  once  to  rest,  and  was 
soon  asleep  ;  but  alas,  my  repose  was  of  no  long  duration. 
It  was  still  dark  when  I  was  suddenly  awakened  by  a  fearful 
noise,  a  perfect  chaos  of  sounds,  just  below  my  window. 
Rising  in  bed  to  recover  myself,  and  remember  where  I  was, 
the  clamor  seemed  to  gradually  die  away.  Presently  the 
turmoil  was  renewed  with  greater  energy,  in  the  shape  of 
frightful,  discordant  bellowing,  caused  by  the  recent  arrival 
of  a  cattle-train.  As  far  as  regards  fear,  my  mind  was  at 
rest,  but  the  constant  din  effectually  deprived  me  of  all 
chances  of  sleep. 

By  daylight  I  was  not  long  in  finding  my  friend's  house, 
to  which  I  was  admitted  fully  an  hour  before  he  had  risen. 
"When  he  and  his  wife  came,  the  relation  of  my  night's  ad 
ventures  made  them  both  laugh  heartily  ;  but  the  lady  liked 
the  little  episode  of  the  vision  in  white  at  the  evening  party 
the  best.  However,  a  good  breakfast  and  cheerful  morning's 
chat,  with  a  fine,  fragrant  havana  afterwards,  soon  set  me  to 
rights,  and  we  both  started  to  the  ferry-boat  for  New  York. 

The   Deluge   at    Johnstown,  Penn.,    April    and   May,   1889. 

Before  leaving  this  section  of  the  book,  a  few  words  re 
specting  the  dreadful  disaster  at  Johnstown  may  be  read  with 
interest.  All  the  civilized  world  was  shocked  to  learn  of  the 
fearful  deluge.  The  anguish  and  heart-rending  scenes 
enacted  on  that  eventful  night  of  visitation  are  without  par 
allel  in  this  century.  The  rushing  waters  poured  down  from 
the  broken  embankment,  caused  by  the  wilful  neglect  and 
unheeded  warnings  of  the  rottenness  of  the  dam,  culminating 


198  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

in  the  loss  of  those  hurried  to  eternity  by  the  deluge  of  seeth 
ing  waters  from  the  weakened  reservoir  ;  thus  sweeping  away 
at  a  blow  hundreds  of  innocent  lives  and  fifteen  hundred 
homes  of  men,  women,  and  children.  The  imagination  can 
not  carry  one  sufficiently  to  the  anguished  cry  for  help  of  4he 
drowning  multitude,  as  they  beheld  their  dear  ones  sinking 
into  the  roaring  torrent  before  their  very  eyes.  As  time 
rolls  on,  the  town  will  be  rebuilt,  probably  on  its  old  land 
marks,  and  the  deluge  of  the  valley  of  death  will  in  part  be 
forgotten,  to  make  room  for  other  calamities  of  wind  and 
tide,  though  we  trust  of  less  degree ;  but  no  time  can  erase 
the  thought  of  how  weak  we  mortals  are,  when  compared  to 
a  convulsion  of  Nature  like  this,  when  angry  waters  get 
beyond  their  limit,  and  death  and  destruction  are  the  result, 
and  our  boastful  supremacy  of  strength  is  as  a  straw  floating 
against  the  fierce  billows  of  the  ocean's  tide. 

The   Mammoth  Cave    of  Kentucky. 

On  the  great  continent  of  America,  Nature  is  to  be  seen  in 
all  her  immensity  and  sublimity,  on  a  most  gigantic  scale. 
Her  lakes  of  inland  seas,  her  rivers,  her  cataracts  and  great 
rapids,  her  mountains  and  valleys,  are  all  silent  and  wonder- 
giving  attestations  of  what  we  say  as  to  the  sublime  and 
majestic  grandeur  which  characterizes  them,  one  and  all. 
Poets,  painters,  and  tourists  have  written  and  painted  their 
praises,  with  pen  and  brush,  with  all  fidelity  ;  but,  naturally, 
descriptions  are  feeble  and  futile,  compared  to  the  great 
reality  of  this  wondrous  land.  And  as  the  Mammoth  Cave 
of  Kentucky  is  so  astoundingly  wonderful,  and  comparatively 
but  little  known  to  the  masses  of  mankind,  the  narrator  will 
endeavor  to  describe  it,  and  lay  a  few  facts  of  reliable  in 
formation  and  character  before  his  reader,  which  he  thinks 
may  prove  interesting. 

The  traveller  from  the  Eastern  States,  intending  to  visit 
the  Mammoth  Cave  of  Kentucky,  would  go  by  way  of  Cin 
cinnati  (the  Queen  City  of  the  West),  then  to  Louisville,  one 
hundred  and  thirty-three  miles.  Ninety  miles  farther  on 
towards  Nashville  the  tourist  reaches  a  comfortable  inn, 
called  "  Bell's  Hotel,"  which  makes  a  good  halting-place  for 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  199 

refreshment;  thence  about  ten  miles  more,  and  the  "  Cave 
Hotel "  is  reached  ;  which  being  quite  adjacent  to  the  won 
drous  cave,  all  anxiety  for  a  comfortable  abode  is  over. 
The  hotel  has  been  enlarged  from  time  to  time,  to  meet  the 
wants  of  increasing  visitors.  The  "Cave  Hotel "  is  very 
spacious  in  its  accommodations,  and  the  annexes  being  sur 
rounded  by  colonnades  and  piazzas,  the  visitor  can  have  ex 
ercise  under  cover,  during  wet  weather.  Venison  and  other 
good  things  are  here  in  abundance,  and  a  fine  kitchen  garden 
and  orchard  furnish  vegetables  and  fruits  for  the  table. 
Many  of  the  parties  lodged  at  the  hotel  are  in  the  habit  of 
exploring  the  cave  more  than  once. 

And  now  for  the  "  Cave,"  unequalled  by  any  other  known 
in  the  world.  In  order  to  explore  only  one  of  its  avenues, 
which  is  nine  miles  long,  the  visitor  starts  immediately  after 
breakfast.  The  entrance  to  the  cave  is  about  two  hundred 
yards  from  the  back  of  the  hotel ;  leaving  it,  the  tourists 
pass  down  a  beautiful  ravine,  having  on  each  side  towering 
trees,  their  foliage  forming  a  magnificent  arch  overhead,  so 
umbrageous  as  to  shutout  all  sight  of  the  blue  sky.  Around 
and  about  grape-vines  are  entwined,  which  flourish  in  fine 
luxuriance.  It  is  a  charming  and  romantic  spot,  descending 
gradually  to  the  bottom  of  the  dell,  and  turning  sharply 
round  to  the  right  hand,  the  visitor  approaches  the  entrance 
to  the  Mammoth  Cave.  He  is  now  at  its  arch,  having  made 
a  descent  of  some  thirty  feet  of  rude  stone  steps.  A  small 
stream  of  water  here  falls  from  the  front  of  the  crowning- 
rock,  its  dripping  sounds  being  wild  and  weird  ;  the  abyss 
below  receives  it.  Let  the  visitor  now  look  backward  ;  all  is- 
utter  gloom,  enough  to  make  him  exclaim,  "This  is  chaos  !  " 

Each  company  is  accompanied  by  an  experienced  guide, 
who  places  in  each  of  their  hands  a  lamp,  which  he  furnishes 
with  oil  from  a  canteen  swung  around  his  back.  The  jour 
ney  underground  is  then  commenced.  The  first  objects  which 
attract  attention  are  wooden  troughs,  which  conducted  the 
water  in  its  descent  to  the  "  hoppers  "  or  mills,  when  the 
cave  was  used  for  the  manufacture  of  saltpetre.  Having 
proceeded  onward,  a  doorway  is  reached,  set  in  a  rough  stone 
wall,  stretched  crossways,  and  so  blocking  up  the  entire 
cavern.  We  proceed  through  this  passage,  which  is  called 


200  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA . 

the  "  Narrows,"  then  make  a  gradual  descent,  and  we  are  in 
the  great  antechamber  of  the  cave.  How  awful  and  solemn 
is  the  surrounding  darkness  ;  no  glimmer  of  light  anywhere  ; 
blackness  reigns  triumphant,  around  and  above  you !  The 
guide  now  lights  a  few  fires,  and  the  effect  is  truly  wonder 
ful.  More  than  a  hundred  feet  above  your  head  is  a  gray 
ceiling,  at  once  majestic  and  spectral ;  then  appear  buttresses 
and  stalagmite  columns,  and  intricate  and  delicate  draperies 
in  this  weird  chamber.  We  all  remain  silent,  as  if  awe 
struck  with  the  dumb  beauty  of  the  underground  region, 
which  causes  a  sensation  in  the  brain  of  utter  and  tingling 
bewilderment. 

To^give  anything  approaching  a  thorough  description  of 
the  cavern  is  far  from  our  purpose,  as  indeed  it  would  fill  a 
volume  of  its  own.  In  fact,  no  writer  can  fully 'describe 
this  marvellous  excavation  of  Nature's  handiwork.  At  right 
angles  are  two  passages  running  into  this  huge  chamber. 
The  passage  on  the  right  is  designated  the  "Bat  room," 
where  tens  of  thousands  of  these  ominous-looking  creatures 
.are  seen  hanging  from  the  walls,  seemingly  dead  or  torpid 
during  the  winter,  but  when  spring  comes  the  place  knows 
them  no  more.  Those  visitors  who  enter  the  great  bat 
chamber  will  have  a  suspicion  that  they  are  passing  into 
infinite  space.  This  impression  will  continue  for  some  time  ; 
the  walls  of  the  cave  are  so  dark  as  not  to  admit  a  single 
reflection  from  the  torches  carried  on  ordinary  occasions. 

The  wayfarer  now  enters  the  main  cave,  or  grand  gallery. 
This  is  a  wonderful  tunnel,  and  extends  for  some  miles  ;  it 
is  a  truly  magnificent  avenue,  filled  with  objects  of  great 
interest  to  the  naturalist  and  all  inquiring  minds.  Just 
picture  to  yourself  an  immense  wall  lit  up  as  if  by  magic 
(i.  e.,  Bengal  lights) ,  with  its  carved  cornices  and  sculptured 
or  arabesqued  architraves,  coming  and  going,  in  its  flicker 
ing,  brilliant  phantasm. 

The  Star  Chamber  is  considered  by  most  visitors  to  be  one 
of  the  grandest  and  most  impressive  of  the  sights  of  this 
underground  region.  It  is  a  superb,  long  hall,  with  perpen 
dicular  arches  on  either  side,  and  a  flat  ceiling ;  the  side 
rocks  are  of  a  light  color,  and  stand  out  in  bold  relief  against 
the  dark,  shady  ceiling,  which  is  studded  with  innumerable 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  201 

sparkling  substances,  resembling  stars.  The  guide  at  this 
chamber  takes  the  lantern  from  each  visitor,  and  places 
them  in  a  hole  in  the  rock,  to  subdue  the  light,  enhancing 
the  effect,  and  making  the  illusion  more  perfect. 

The  narrator  would  weary  the  reader  with  minute  descrip 
tions  of  the  Crystal  Chamber,  Echo  Halls,  stalactitic  domes. 
Church  Chambers,  gothic  rooms  (with  natural  pulpits), 
Devil's  Arm-chair,  Elephant's  Head,  Lovers'  Leap,  also  many 
others,  which  are  so  replete  with  wonders,  as  truly  naturally 
formed  chambers  or  avenues  of  the  grand  work  of  the  Crea 
tor,  that,  like  looking  on  the  sublime  Niagara  or  the  grand 
and  picturesque  "  Giant's  Causeway,'*  one  feels  lost  in  admi 
ration  of  the  really  bewildering  and  gigantic  beauties  of 
these  created  wonders  of  the  world  ! 

The  Bottomless  Pit,  like  a  horseshoe  in  form,  has  a 
tongue  of  land  twenty-seven  feet  long,  which  runs  out  in  the 
middle  of  it.  From  the  extremity  of  this  land,  a  bridge  of 
substantial  workmanship  has  been  thrown  o\  er  to  the  cave 
on  the  opposite  side.  Some  idea  of  the  depth  of  the  pit, 
and  of  the  awe  which  a  contemplation  of  it  arouses,  may  be 
imagined,  when  we  state  that  it  is  the  custom  of  the  guides 
to  let  down  pieces  of  lighted  paper  into  the  abyss  below, 
which,  descending  lower  and  lower,  ultimately  vanish  from 
the  vision,  though  long  before  they  are  burnt  out  or  extin- 
tinguished. 

The  Snow-ball  Room,  as  it  is  called,  is  well  worthy  of 
notice,  being  some  two  hundred  feet  in  length ;  and  if  a 
number  of  school-boys  had  just  finished'  their  day's  sport  by 
throwing  some  thousands  of  snow-balls  against  the  roof, 
while  a  similar  number  lay  in  confusion  about  the  floor,  and 
all  petrified,  it  would  present  just  such  a  scene  as  you  wit 
ness  in  this  hall  of  Natui  e's  earthly  frolic.  These  petrified 
snow- balls  (so  say  the  scientists)  are  a  perfect  anomaly 
among  all  the  extraordinary  forms  of  crystallization.  The}7 
result,  it  is  supposed,  from  unusual  combination  of  the 
sulphate  of  lime  and  magnesia,  with  carbonate  of  the  for 
mer. 

The  Styx  River  is  the  smallest  river  in  the  Mammoth  Cave  ; 
having  passed  it,  the  tourist  finds  himself  on  the  banks  of  the 
Lethe  River.  The  rugged,  abrupt  rock  scenery  at  this  point 


202  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

is  very  grand  and  imposing.  The  boats  in  use  here  are  built 
to  carry  twelve  persons  in  each ;  the  passage  down  the  river 
is  replete  with  suppressed  pleasure,  and  novel  and  weird-like 
feeling  of  romantic  interest.  The  wonderful  character  of  the 
place  and  surrounding  scenes,  and  its  cavernous  magnifi 
cence,  must  naturally  cause  mingled  feelings  of  awe  and 
admiration.  The  rippling  of  the  current  gives  a  subdued 
and  musical  cadence  to  the  ear ;  and  so  powerfully  does 
sound  vibrate  and  repeat  itself  in  this  section  of  the  cavern, 
that  the  report  of  a  pistol  is  like  some  heavy  artillery  in  its 
echoes  of  thunderings  and  murmurings,  dying  away*  in  the 
far  distance.  While  gliding  down  this  stream  of  Lethe, 
oftentimes  a  whole  boat's  company  have  joined  in  song, 
spontaneous,  as  it  were  —  the  effect  has  been  one  of  solemnity 
and  joyousness ;  and  when  a  full  band  of  music  has  been 
tried  on  the  Echo  Biver,  what  the  result  has  been  can  better 
be  imagined  than  described. 

The  Echo  River  is  three  miles  in  length,  and  it  is  in  this 
river,  and  others  in  Mammoth  Cave,  that  those  very  extraor 
dinary  fish,  the  "white  eyeless,"  are  to  be  found.  On  a 
close  and  minute  inspection  of  these  fish,  not  any  appear 
ance  of  an  eye  is  distinguishable,  nor  have  the  skilful  anato 
mists  of  all  times,  who  have  experimented  on  these  curious 
specimens  of  the  finny  tribe,  been  more  successful.  Indeed, 
it  has  been  asserted  by  scientists,  naturalists,  and  men 
eminent  in  their  professions,  that  these  fishes  are  not  only 
without  eyes,  but  also  portray  other  anomalies  in  their  organ 
ization  highly  interesting  to  lovers  of  science.  Some  writers 
also  affirm  that  animals  of  the  rat  species,  yet  half  rabbits, 
with  many  other  breathing  and  visual  oddities,  are  to  be 
found  in  these  underground  regions.  At  the  time  the  rivers 
of  the  Mammoth  Cave  were  first  crossed  (1840)  and  since, 
several  endeavors  were  and  have  been  mad«  to  discover 
whence  the  u  white  eyeless"  come,  and  also  whither  they 
go ;  though  various  conjectures  have  been  formed,  yet  noth 
ing  definite  or  satisfactory  has  come  to  pass.  All  is  still 
in  doubt,  and  will  continue  so,  we  presume,  to  the  end  of 
time. 

The  barometrical  measurement  of  the  rivers  in  the  Mam 
moth  Cave  has  been  frequently  taken ;  but  scientific  men 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  203 

cannot  agree  on  the  subject.  The  prevailing  opinion  of  the 
rivers  is,  that  they  are  emptied  into  the  Green  River,  the 
Ohio,  or  the  ocean  ;  they  must  run  a  great  distance  under 
ground,  and  have  a  very  trifling  descent.  Most  accounts  agree 
that  these  rivers  in  question  are  generally  pure  and  fresh  water  ; 
while  the  mineral  springs  and  other  medicinal  waters  are  much 
sought  after  by  consumptive  and  dyspeptic  patients. 

As  the  salubrious  air  of  the  Mammoth  Cave  is  a  great 
promoter  of  appetite,  after  some  hours  of  rambling,  the 
contents  of  lunch  baskets  are  in  great  requisition,  and  a 
large,  flat  rock,  called  the  "  Dining  Table,"  at  the  termina 
tion  of  Cleveland  Avenue,  is  often  used  in  lieu  of  more 
domestic  furniture  ;  and  as  many  as  one  hundred  visitors 
have  set  around  this  Nature's  table,  and  regaled  and  rested 
themselves.  Here,  by  the  aid  of  guides,  the  banquet  is 
often  spread  ;  the  ton  lists,  being  in  the  cave  from  morn  till 
dewy  eve,  greatly  need  the  refreshment.  In  the  midst  of 
laughter  and  story-telling,  after^ffitting  awhile,  the  enjoy 
ment  is  abruptly  broken  by  a  hint  from  the  guide  that  the 
river  may  possibly  rise,  and  their  retreat  be  cut  off ;  then 
how  sudden  is  the  move  ;  the  uplifted  morsel  is  dropped 
from  the  mouth,  and  what  a  rattle  and  gathering  up  of 
plates,  dishes,  knives,  forks,  etc.,  there  is  !  But  it  is  only  a 
ruse  of  the  chief  guide,  to  get  the  sight-seers  out  of  the 
cave  before  midnight. 

The  effect  on  entering  the  outer  world  again  is  somewhat 
peculiar.  With  a  grateful  feeling  of  relief  one  emerges 
from  the  cavernous  researches,  and  looks  on  the  fair  earth 
with  renewed  pleasure  ;  though  the  ten  hours  of  instructive 
study  just  witnessed  is  uppermost  in  the  thoughts  of  all,  as 
they  wend  their  way  to  the  pleasant  home  comforts  of  the 
Hotel  de  Cave. 

The  ownership  of  the  Mammoth  Cave  is  in  the  possession 
of  St.  George  Groghan,  Esq.,  son  of  the  late  Dr.  Groghan. 
The  proprietor  is  a  resident  of  Louisville,  and  a  gentleman 
of  great  enterprise.  He  has  made  many  discoveries  in  the 
cave,  and  altered  parts  of  avenues  of  low  altitudes  to  con 
venient  walking  promenades.  It  is  said  visitors  seldom  or 
ever  contract  cold  on  entering  or  departing  from  the  cave. 
No  noxious  or  dangerous  animals  or  reptiles  trouble  the 


204  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

caverns  with  their  presence.  No  impurity  of  air  is  ever 
experienced  in  the  cave's  recesses ;  in  every  part  of  this 
region  combustion  is  perfect.  Decomposition,  and  its  loath 
some  adjunct,  putrefaction,  is  unknown  there.  The  water 
of  the  cave  is  exquisitely  pure,  and  is  generally  fresh ;  and, 
as  before  mentioned,  has  one  or  two  sulphur  springs.  There 
are  two  hundred  and  twenty-six  avenues  in  this  magnificent 
cave,  forty-seven  domes,  eight  cataracts,  and  twenty-three 
pits.  The  temperature  of  the  place  is  59°  Fahrenheit,  and 
it  remains  precisely  the  same,  winter  and  summer.  No 
sound — not  even  the  loudest  peal  of  thunder  —  can  be 
heard  beyond  the  distance  of  one  quarter  of  a  mile  in  the 
cave. 

In  concluding  this  sketch  of  the  eighth  wonder  of  the 
world,  the  narrator,  ere  he  closes,  would  warn  the  venture 
some  tourist  not  to  leave  the  presence  of  the  guide  by  stray 
ing  away,  in  too  e-iger  anticipation  of  exploring,  as  the 
following  incident  will  relfte  :  — 

Some  years  ago,  a  young  man  (a  miner) ,  new  to  the  cave, 
was  sent  with  an  older  workman  to  the  Salt  Room,  for  the 
purpose  of  digging  a  few  sacks  of  the  required  article ;  the 
young  fellow  —  like  most  young  men  —  was  a  little  vain,  and 
wishing  to  show  off  his  bravery,  declined  the  older  man's 
advice  and  warning,  and  went  off  alone  farther  in  the  inte 
rior.  Several  hours  elapsed,  and  the  wanderer  not  return 
ing,  his  companion  and  fellow-workmen  became  alarmed.  A 
consultation  was  speedily  held,  and  six  volunteers  arranged 
to  search  ;  they  were  negroes,  and  previous  to  their  starting 
on  their  errand  of  mercy  were  stripped  half  naked.  It  may 
therefore  be  imagined  how  extraordinary  was  their  appear 
ance.  The  young  miner,  in  the  mean  while,  had  of  course 
lost  his  way,  stumbled  over  a  rock,  and  dropped  his  lamp, 
which  was  immediately  extinguished.  The  frightened  man 
prayed  for  help  in  his  terror,  but  hours  passed  away,  and  he 
in  utter  darkness  was  conjuring  up  all  manner  of  demoniacal 
fancies ;  madness  almost  seized  him  ;  he  thought  he  had 
quitted  earth,  was  disembodied  —  in  fact,  he  was  in  the  place 
of  torments  reserved  for  sinners.  He  tried  to  gaze  around 
him.  Merciful  powers!  what  were  those  moving  figures? 
He  had  never  seen  anything  like  them.  They  were  spirits 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  205 

sent  to  drag  him  to  punishment !  He  heard  their  yells. 
Were  ever  mortal  voices  like  the  wild  outburst  ringing  in  his 
ears?  Never,  never!  Nearer  and  nearer  they  come.  He 
tries,  in  his  wild,  agonized  delirium,  to  beat  them  off.  It  is 
too  late,  for  still  they  come  ;  he  is  conscious  of  their  hot  and 
hissing  breath  ;  their  arms  are  outstretched  to  clutch  him  ;  he. 
will  soon  be  in  their  embrace  fast  locked.  Horrible  !  Horri 
ble  !  They  have  him  —  they  are  not  devils,  but  miners  like 
himself.  He  soon  recognizes  his  fellow-workmen,  and  knows 
that  he  is  a  saved  man!  "Hurrah!  hurrah!  hurrah!" 
Never  did  the  Mammoth  Cave  reverberate  with  such  hearty 
shouts  as  on  the  memorable  occasion  of  the  miner's  rescue. 
In  the  words  of  the  poet,  we  might  say  :  — 

"  Father,  how  wide  thy  glory  shines, 

How  high  thy  wonders  rise ! 
Known  through  the  earth  by  thousand  signs, 
By  thousands  through  the  skies. 

"  For  the  grandeur  of  thy  nature, 

Grand  beyond  a  seraph's  thought ; 
For  the  wonders  of  creation, 
Works  with  skill  and  kindness  wrought." 

Since  writing  the  above  respecting  the  Mammoth  Cave, 
Louisville,  Ky.,  on  March  28,  1890,  suffered  a  disaster  un 
precedented  in  the  history  of  this  State,  —  that  of  a  cyclone 
of  fifteen  minutes'  duration,  devastating  the  city,  and  de 
stroying  nearly  one  hundred  lives  and"  two  thousand  five  hun 
dred  peaceful  homes.  The  terrible  whirlwind  passed  on  to 
adjacent  towns  with  its  relentless  fury,  and  sacrificed  life  and 
property  as  long  as  the  tornado  swept  across  the  face  of  the 
unfortunate  country. 

From  Boston  to  Chicago. 

The  night  ride  in  an  excursion  train  from  Boston  to 
Chicago  is  full  of  interest.  Starting  in  the  bewildering 
darkness  from  the  Boston  &  Lowell  depot,  we  emerged  into 
the  far  distant  country  with  great  rapidity ;  the  passengers' 
lively  talking,  in  the  confusion  and  excitement  of  getting 
off,  simmers  down  to  incoherent  murmurs,  then  to  silence, 
until  the  conductor  of  the  train  passes  through  for  tickets. 


206  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

thus  awakening  up  some  irritable  old  man  or  woman.  A 
change  of  engine  and  engineers  takes  place  every  so  man}7 
miles  in  long-distance  travel ;  also  a  change  of  conductors 
and  brakemen  about  every  fifty  miles. 

The  rash  for  breakfast  next  morning  at  the  first  stopping 
place  was  very  amusing,  each  person  jolting  the  other,  as 
twenty  minutes  are  only  allowed,  and  the  bewildered  attend 
ants  are  flying  hither  and  thither  at  the  clamoring  demands 
made  to  satisfy  the  "inner  man."  Many  a  character  of 
strong  mind  could  be  observed  at  those  times,  the  noisy  and 
boisterous  getting  their  fill  long  before  the  more  timid  and 
diffident  get  anything.  Bashfulness  does  not  pay  on  the 
road ;  one  must  lose  his  identity  for  a  time,  to  live  at  all  on 
railway  jomneys  of  some  hundreds  of  miles 

On  arriving  at  Burlington,  Vt.,  news  of  President  Gar- 
field's  untimely  death  reached  our  ears,  and  words  more 
forcible  than  polite  were  expressed  in  vengeance  against  the 
assassin,  Guiteau.  As  we  push  on  towards  the  Canadian 
frontier,  custom-house  officers  board  the  train,  and  examine 
our  baggage,  valises,  etc.,  which  causes  much  fluttering 
and  excitement  amongst  the  lady  passengers,  most  of  whom 
imagine  they  have  something  in  their  satchel  chargeable  for 
excise  duty. 

When  we  arrived  at  Montreal  we  found  all  public  and  pri 
vate  buildings  draped  with  mourning  emblems  of  woe,  and 
flags  were  half-mast  high,  the  u  Union  Jack"  and  the  u  Stars 
and  Stripes"  side  by  side,  in  solemn  rivalry,  as  it  were ;  each 
ensign  endeavoring  to  pay  veneration  to  the  murdered  Presi 
dent. 

Montreal. 

The  city  of  Montreal  is  reached  by  crossing  the  Victoria  tubu 
lar  bridge,  over  the  St.  Lawrence  River.  The  structure  is  built 
of  iron,  with  stone  supports,  and  the  ventilation  of  the  huge 
tube  is  attained  by  a  kind  of  port-holes  at  intervals,  making 
a  curious,  subdued  light  within.  The  length  of  the  bridge  is 
unknown  to  the  writer,  but  it  must  be  some  hundreds  of 
feet,  and  is  a  magnificent  work  of  engineering  skill. 

The   Montreal   railway   depot   was   one   of  the  worst  ap- 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  207 

pointed  stations  to  be  seen  in  any  city  of  its  size ;  dirty, 
ill-managed,  and  inconvenient. 

No  proper  waiting-rooms  or  lavatory  were  provided,  and 
the  tramp-like  appearance  of  the  weary  travellers  from  all 
parts  of  the  habitable  globe,  sitting  on  rough  benches  or 
on  the  floor,  gave  the  aspect  of  the  place  a  u  Castle  Garden  " 
look,  without  its  order  or  cleanliness.  The  building  itself 
was  a  very  poor  one,  and  somewhat  of  a  disgrace  to  the 
Canadian  authorities  of  so  important  a  city ;  the  difference 
being  very  noticeable  after  travelling  through  the  large  cities 
of  the  States,  and  seeing  some  of  their  well-appointed  rail 
way  stations. 

Pair  at  Montreal. 

Having  to  wait  some  ten  hours  for  arrangements  of  the 
railway  people  for  another  locomotive,  gave  us  a  fine  oppor 
tunity  "to  visit  the  annual  agricultural  fair,  held  on  the  out 
skirts  of  Montreal ;  and  it  is  but  justice  to  say,  the  quantit}^ 
and  quality  of  the  stock  exhibited  was  the  finest  we  had  seen 
on  this  continent ;  the  immense  enclosures  and  pens  for 
cattle  were  surprisingly  large.  Great  amusement  was  here 
for  the  sight-seers  —  horse  and  pony  racing  for  prizes,  and 
plenty  of  good  music.  The  military  bands  accompanying 
the  lieutenant-governor  and  his  escort  being  on  the  fail- 
grounds,  gave  a  great  edat  to  the  whole  proceedings.  We 
were  told  some  thirty  thousand  persons  were  present  at  this 
agricultural  meeting,  while  the  mixed  patois  of  the  Canadians 
sounded  somewhat  strangely  to  an  English  ear. 

Montreal  Catholic  cathedral  is  a  fine  edifice,  with  some 
magnificent  paintings  on  its  sacred  walls. 

Toronto. 

Once  more  in  the  cars,  we  again  pressed  onward,  and 
reached  Toronto  after  some  hours'  ride.  The  welcome  stay 
of  half  an  hour  for  refreshments  was  well  spent,  and  invig 
orated  the  weary  traveller.  Coffee,  tea,  cold  chicken,  sand 
wiches,  and  lager  beer  were  disposed  of  very  quickly,  and 
relished  exceedingly,  as  no  other  opportunity  for  comforting 
the  inner  man  would  occur  for  fourteen  hours.  During  our 


208  RAMBLES    IN   AMERICA. 

short  stop  at  Toronto  it  was  noticeable  that  the  railway 
officials  swept  out  the  cars,  opening  the  doors  and  windows 
to  let  in  pure  air,  a  very  necessary  precaution,  as  some  pas 
sengers  must  needs  spend  their  time  in  apple-paring  and 
eating  peanuts,  leaving  the  shells  as  a  sort  of  remembrance 
of  their  slovenliness  in  the  long  car-ride. 

Toronto  depot  is  just  the  reverse  of  Montreal,  being 
cleanly,  spacious,  and  well  looked  after,  and  with  good 
waiting  and  refreshment  rooms ;  the  structure  appeared 
newly  erected,  well  ventilated,  and  lofty. 

At  12,  noon,  the  bell  of  the  locomotive  rung  its  signal  for 
departure  ;  we  scampered  to  our  seats,  and  away  we  went, 
tearing  and  dashing  through  the  country  the  rest  of  the  day 
and  all  the  following  night ;  while  at  every  town  or  village, 
mourning  flags  and  streamers  of  bunting  waved  sadly  in  the 
wind,  sighing,  as  it  were,  a  mournful  requiem  on  the  tragic 
death  of  the  nation's  favorite.  Screaming,  panting,  and 
rushing  along,  the  u  iron  horse"  gallantly  carries  its  load  of 
human  freight  in  the  great  line  of  cars  towards  our  destina 
tion  ;  and  as  evening  again  closes  in,  conversation  gradually 
subsides,  and  men,  women,  and  children  nod  and  sway  once 
more  with  the  oscillation  of  the  swift  transit,  till  finally  all 
eyes  are  closed  in  forgetfulness  of  fatigue,  except  when  the 
tired  wife  leans  her  head  more  comfortably  on  her  husband's 
shoulder,  or  the  devoted  lover  rearranges  the  wraps  for  the 
twentieth  time  for  his  darling.  Presently  the  car  door 
dashes  open  for  another  inspection  of  tickets  by  the  new  and 
relentless  conductor  ;  the  sleepy  passengers  slowly  awake  to 
consciousness,  inwardly  vowing  vengeance  on  the  Grand 
Crunk  Railway  Company's  rules,  show  their  tickets,  get 
them  punched,  turn  over  and  go  to  sleep  again,  if  possible. 

The  travelling  public  are  great  water  drinkers  ;  if  anything 
displeases  an  American  (male  or  female),  it  is  the  lack  of 
water  supply.  The  repetitions  of  the  doses  of  the  beverage, 
out  of  dirty  pitchers  find  glasses,  were  surprising  to  behold. 
A  constant  trot  to  the  filter  or  receptacle  is  kept  up,  night 
and  day  ;  or  if  a  car-boy  brings  the  watery  fluid  along, 
numerous  outstretched  hands  are  seen  to  grasp  the  misty  - 
looking  glasses,  to  satisfy  the  ever-thirsly  souls.  Some  others 
of  the  passengers  strengthen  themselves  by  drinking,  on  the 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  209 

sly,  something  stronger  than  water,  with  all  the-  innocence  of 
old  campaigners  of  the  rum  or  cordial  bottle. 

Port  Royal.! 

On  reaching  Port  Royal  the  cars  are  placed  on  steam  fer 
ries,  and  we  were  transported  across  Lake  George,  and  are 
again  in  the  United  States,  though  not  before  the  Canadian 
custom-house  officials  gave  us  a  token  of  their  regards  as  a 
farewell  souvenir,  by  coming  around  with  their  eagle  eyes  to 
once  more  inspect  our  valises  and  travelling  satchels,  detain 
ing  some  and  passing  others,  causing  much  anxiety  amongst 
the  ladies,  who  perchance  had  bought  some  articles  in  Mon 
treal,  and  were  afraid  of  their  being  confiscated. 

As  we  proceeded  further  westward,  we  observed  miles  of 
freight  cars,  with  upper  and  lower  compartments  for  hogs, 
and  cars  full  of  oxen  lined  the  side  tracks,  just  come  in  from 
the  far  West ;  the  poor  animals  seemed  very  jaded  and  quiet 
in  their  narrow,  penned-up  places,  awaiting  their  final  desti 
nation  and' destruction.  The  immense  number  of  hogs  seen 
on  the  road  are  almost  bewildering,  so  that  one  is  apt  to 
think  the  forests  of  the  far  Western  world  must  be  overrun 
with  these  animals.  We  could  always  tell,  even  when  a  long 
distance  away  (if  the  wind  blew  in  our  direction),  the  vicinity 
of  the  "  large  pig  tribe,"  for  the  effluvia  from  their  hides  was 
very  powerful,  and  not  a  pleasant  perfume. 

Chicago. 

After  many  delays,  to  allow  other  trains  to  pass,  and 
several  false  alarms,  we  at  last  sighted  Chicago,  or  rather, 
the  suburbs.  The  grand  junction  of  the  railway  companies 
of  the  West  is  at  this  point,  and  forms  many  miles  of  freight 
cars,  of  all  colors,  shapes,  and  sizes.  The  land  in  this  dis 
trict  appeared  of  the  most  fertile  kind  ;  black,  loamy  earth  on 
all  sides  seems  to  abound  at  the  commencement  of  the  prairie 
soil. 

A  good  impression  of  Chicago  is  not  gained  from  the 
outskirts  of  the  city.  Before  alighting  at  the  depot  of 
the  Grand  Trunk  Railway,  busy  men  on  the  dirty,  grimy 


210  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

wharves  meet  the  eye  everywhere  ;  the  din  and  noise  were 
most  deafening,  and  the  rnuddy  waters  about  the  wharfage 
had  a  very  sickening  look  ;  added  to  which  the  soft-coal 
smoke  of  the  numerous  tug  steamers  and  locomotives  causes 
a  gloomy  look  to  the  surrounding  atmosphere,  and  a  sense 
of  depression  to  the  new-comer  in  the  city. 

But  once  away  from  all  this,  in  the  city  proper,  quite  a 
revulsion  of  feeling  pervades  the  visitor  on  his  arrival. 
Elegant  hotels  of  immense  dimensions  and  magnificent  public 
buildings  meet  the  eye  in  the  principal  thoroughfares,  and 
fine  business  stores  in  the  chief  streets  of  commerce  are  some 
of  the  leading  features  here.  Also  showy  restaurants  and 
lager  beer  saloons,  with  large  placards  on  the  outside,  notify 
ing  that  a  free  lunch  is  ready  to  be  served  on  that  day  ;  soup, 
fried  sausages,  and  other  dainties  are  given  away,  so  that 
the  purchase  of  a  glass  of  beer  entitles  the  hungry  man  to 
all  this  free  entertainment  of  liberty  ;  and  the  first-class 
arrangements  of  these  bar-rooms  bear  good  comparison  with 
most  of  the  dingy  saloons  of  other  cities  in  the  Union. 

The  business  of  all  kinds  done  in  Chicago  must  be  im 
mense  for  so  young  a  city ;  such  hurrying  to  and  fro  of 
the  people,  in  the  same  excitable  manner  as  the  New  Yorkers 
have  in  their  thronged  thoroughfares. 

To  describe  Chicago  would  take  a  volume  of  its  own,  but 
a  few  leading  remarks  to  my  readers  may  not  be  deemed 
inappropriate.  In  the  telling  of  the  rapid  growth  of  this 
Western  city,  one  cannot  go  back  of  the  present  century  — 
in  fact,  hardly  previous  to  this  generation ;  and  yet  in  that 
brief  space  of  time  it  has  accomplished  what  would  have 
required  hundreds  of  years  in  more  pretentious  places,  and 
generations  not  been  able  to  achieve  for  any  other  city  on 
the  Western  continent. 

While  the  entire  population  of  the  county  in  which  Chicago 
is  situated  was  only  10,201  in  1^40,  the  city  alone  in  1881 
numbered  more  than  500,000  persons  ;  and  in  1890  the  gov 
ernment  census  enumerates  Chicago  at  1,101,253  people, 
and  it  now  ranks  the  second  city  in  the  Union.  The  growth 
of  commerce  and  business  for  the  same  time  has  not  been 
lacking  to  the  increase  in  population.  In  1850,  the  manu 
facturers  and  wholesale  dealers  did  a  business  of  $20,000,- 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  211 

000  ;  this  bad  increased  to  $764,000,000  in   1879.     In  the 
year  1880  it  had  reached  $910,000,000. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  during  the  last  number  of 
years  the  city  of  Chicago  has  passed  through  an  ordeal  of 
fire  second  to  none  in  modern  times.  Between  the  sunset 
of  Sunday,  Oct.  9,  1871,  and  the  same  hour  of  the  succeed 
ing  day,  there  were  destroyed  in  the  very  heart  of  the  city 
17.450  buildings,  which,  with  the  property  contained  in  thein, 
represented  more  than  two  hundred  million  dollars  ;  and  yet 
only  eight  years  after,  the  city  was  rebuilt  in  greater  magnifi 
cence  and  splendor,  and  has  almost  doubled  its  population. 

The   Crib. 

Chicago  is  supplied  with  water  by  two  colossal  pumping- 
works,  with  the  enormous  pumping  capacity  of  76,000,000 
gallons  per  day,  both  drawing  their  supply  from  the  same 
source,  called  the  bfc  Crib,"  situated  over  two  miles  out  in 
Lake  Michigan,  and  to  which  a  small  steamer  conveys  visit 
ors  twice  a  day,  to  view  the  apparatus  or  pumping  works. 
Just  previous  to  our  leaving  the  wharf  in  the  steamer  for  the 
u  Crib,"  a  drunken  man  tried  to  get  on  board,  when  he 
slipped  and  fell  overboard  into  the  murky  water  ;  the  screams 
of  the  ladies  and  the  coolness  of  some  Germans,  eating  pea 
nuts,  who  never  moved  in  any  way,  or  left  off  munching  the 
nuts,  were  very  amusing ;  the  man  was  fished  out,  partially 
sobered,  and  taken,  half  bewildered,  to  some  other  "crib" 
by  a  policeman. 

The  Chicago  River  provides  more  than  forty  miles  of  dock 
age,  and  Lake  Michigan  furnishes  an  outlet  to  the  seaports 
of  the  world,  by  way  of  the  great  chain  of  lakes  and  the  St. 
Lawrence  River ;  while  the  great  railroads  radiating  from  all 
directions  put  the  city  in  communication  with  the  world  by 
land.  By  the  statistics  of  the  post-office  department,  Chicago 
is  only  second  in  the  amount  of  post-office  business  trans 
acted. 

The  streets  of  Chicago  are  like  the  avenues  of  New  York, 
running  at  right  angles,  and  are  easy  to  the  stranger  in  find 
ing  his  way  around,  as  all  directions*  are  by  the  points  of  the 
compass,  north,  south,  east,  and  west.  The  streets  in  the 


212  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

best  localities  are  well  paved  with  macadamized  roads,  and 
in  some  parts  with  wood  blocks. 

Since  the  big  fire  of  1871,  great  improvements  have  been 
made  in  the  new  public  buildings  ;  fine  structures  have  been 
erected  in  the  place  of  the  old  wooden  dwellings  and  shan 
ties,  the,  most  noticeable  being  the  new  post-office,  custom 
house,  and  court  house,  all  of  them  colossal  in  size,  built  of 
granite,  and  of  good  design. 

Palmer  House. 

The  hotels,  such  as  the  Palmer  House,  about  defy  descrip 
tion.  The  magnificence  of  this  establishment  is  almost  be 
yond  comparison  in  grandeur.  It  stands  on  a  large  area  of 
ground  in  one  square  block,  and  is  built  of  granite  ;  the  in 
terior  arrangements  are  such  as  to  suit  the  most  fastidious  ; 
elegance  and  comfort  are  here  combined,  and  the  well- 
trained  colored  attendants  are  very  polite  and  attentive. 
In  truth,  the  Palmer  House  is  an  abode  of  bewildering 
space,  luxuriousness,  and  ease,  with  eveiy  thing  for  the  well- 
appointed  table  that  money  can  purchase,  from  the  prairie 
chicken  to  the  sweet-eating  lake  perch.  The  interior  deco 
rations  of  this  hotel  are  superb,  and  the  entrance  hall  of 
tesselated  pavement  is  very  fine  ;  the  whole  surroundings 
are  such  as  we  Eastern  people  could  hardly  believe  to  exist 
in  a  Western  city  of  such  rapid  growth. 

Electric  Light  in  Chicago. 

Nearly  all  the  large  hotels  and  business  premises  are 
lighted  by  electricity,  a  noted  tailor's  establishment  having 
as  many  as  sixty  small  electric  lights,  and  the  customers  in 
the  oyster  saloon  basement  of  the  large  building  appeared 
like  a  sepulchral  race  of  beings,  all  blue  and  steely-looking, 
by  the  action  of  the  luminary,  as  if  they  were  moon-struck 
while  devouring  the  bivalves.  The  strong  electric  light  in 
many  parts  of  the  city  gives  a  poor  reflection  to  where  the 
old-style  gas  jets  flit  their  feeble  rays.  Some  writers  on 
Chicago  have  said  that  much  bad  element  exists  among  its 
citizens  in  the  city's  midst ;  if  it  does,  one  has  to  look 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  213 

around  for  it,  as  in  any  other  large  city.  The  people  here 
we  found,  as  a  rule,  courteous,  agreeable,  and  off-hand, 
quick  in  manner,  and  all  seemed  bent  on  making  money  and 
spending  it. 

On  one  of  the  sultry  days  we  went  for  a  few  hours'  fishing 
on  Lake  Michigan,  whose  waters  wash  the  esplanade  of  the 
windy  city.  A  tug  steamer  took  us  about  two  miles  in  the 
stream  to  a  long  pier,  then  in  process  of  erection ;  poles  and 
lines  were  provided  at  small  cost,  and  we  found  men, 
women,  and  children  by  the  hundreds  fishing  away,  and 
catching  the  finny  tribe  as  soon  as  the  lines  were  thrown  in ; 
a  pailful  of  fine  perch  could  he  taken  in  two  or  three  hours. 
While  intently  watching  for  a  bite,  a  stranger  at  my  side 
deliberately  drew  from  his  hip  pocket  a  pistol,  and  dis 
charged  the  weapon  so  quickly  and  kept  firing  so  rapidly  at 
some  wild  ducks  a  short  distance  off,  that  one-  felt  a  little 
farther  down  the  pier  was  advisable,  as  the  ever-ready  pistol, 
the  curse  of  this  country,  is  always  on  hand  for  bird  or  man. 

Sunday  in  Chicago. 

Chicago  on  a  Sunday  is  a  free  and  easy  place,  so  many 
beer  saloons  open  all  day  in  high  glory ;  also  some  business 
stores,  though  the  better  portion  remain  closed  as  in  any 
other  city.  The  theatres  are  mostly  open,  excepting  Hav- 
erley's  ;  matinees  in  the  afternoon,  crowds  surging  in  for 
tickets  on  the  Sabbath  like  any  other  day.  We  were  told 
that  the  Western  German  and  Bohemian  element  in  a  man 
ner  control  affairs  here,  and  the  authorities  either  will  not  or 
dare  not  inteifere  with  such  a  state  of  things.  Gambling  is 
much  carried  on  in  this  as  in  most  Western  cities. 

By  the  Chicago  newspaper  accounts  on  Monday  mornings, 
one  would  think  most  of  the  crime  of  the  week  is  committed 
in  the  low  dives,  saloons,  or  singing-halls  on  Sunday  even 
ings  ;  clubbing  and  shooting  (sometimes  fatally)  are  the 
results  of  this  baneful  disregard  of  the  Sabbath  day.  They 
seem  to  act  as  if  Sunday  was  nothing  to  them  ;  excursions 
here,  there,  and  everywhere  ;  money-making  and  pleasure- 
seeking  run  riot,  to  the  utter  exclusion  of  evervthing  else. 
Naturally,  numbers  of  good,  respectable  families  deplore 


214  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

this  desecration  of  the  holy  day,  and  some  of  the  clergymen 
condemn  it  in  a  mild  way  in  their  churches  ;  but  the  earnest 
ness  seems  wanting  to  suppress  it,  and  the  system  has  grown 
up  with  the  new  city  as  part  and  parcel  of  its  government. 
One  might  say  with  Shakespeare  at  such  a  time  as  this :  — 

"A  gloomy  picture  this  morning  with  it  brings ; 
The  sun  for  sorry  will  not  show  his  head." 

We  found  that  in  consequence  of  the  cutting  of  rates,  a 
great  deal  of  travel  was  done  between  Kansas,  Chicago,  and 
other  cities,  coming  and  going  to  all  points  ;  some  visiting 
long -neglected  parents,  others  to  see  brothers  and  sisters 
and  family  connections,  after  many  years'  absence.  A  fine- 
looking  young  man  journeyed  fourteen  hundred  miles  to  see 
his  aged  father,  and  recalled  how  he  hoped  to  find  the  old 
man  well,  and  how  he  longed  to  see  him,  to  hear  his  loved 
voice  again,  after  so  many  years'  separation ;  and  then 
thought  of  the  good-by,  perhaps  for  the  last  time.  The 
young  fellow's  ej'es  dimmed  when  he  realized  this,  and 
he  said,  u  Sir,  I  am  afraid  this  is  my  last  visit  to  the  old 

man  !  " 

"  And  swiftly  will  the  destiny  close  on  us." 

Kansas  Boy  in  Chicago. 

Riding  on  the  horse-car  to  one  of  the  parks  hereabout,  a 
brio'ht-eved,  brown-cheeked  boy  sat  beside  me,  with  a  rifle  on 
his°knee.  On  questioning  him  about  the  use  of  the  fire-arm, 
he  smiled  as  he  answered  me  naively,  kt  I  have  come  all  the 
way  from  Kansas  to  Chicago,  on  purpose  to  buy  a  little 
stock  of  ball  cartridges  for  my  rifle,  because  we  cannot 
get  them  at  home  so  good."  So  many  hundred  miles  for 
such  a  purchase  seemed  astounding ;  but  the  smart  youngster 
explained  that  he  was  fourteen  years  old,  that  himself  and 
another  boy  of  his  own  age  were  hunters  in  the  woods  in 
Kansas ;  and  that  they  got  their  living  so  many  months  of 
the  year  by  shooting  birds  and  taking  them  to  towns  and 
sellino1  them  ;  and  they  also  earned  some  money  for  destroy 
ing  obnoxious  little  animals  which  were  a  pest  to  the  farmers' 
crops,  and  for  the  riddance  of  which  the  young  hunters 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  215 

received  a  small  bounty  per  head.  With  their  parents'  con 
sent,  these  youngsters  lived  their  wild  life,  and  from  the  art 
less  way  in  which  he  spoke  of  it,  one  had  no  reason  to 
discredit  the  story.  On  asking  about  his  return  to  Kansas, 
he  said,  "  I  came  here  yesterday,  and  I  a*m  off  to-night.  I 
have  got  my  stock  of  bullets,  and  I  am  all  right ;  so  good-by 
to  you,  sir." 

Theatres  in  Chicago. 

Chicago  has  several  good  theatres.  We  visited  two  of 
them.  Haverley's  new  opera  house,  just  then  finished  build 
ing,  is  a  spacious  structure,  and  would  seat  a  large  assemblage. 
The  interior  decorations  were  somewhat  coarse  and  showy- 
looking,  giving  the  idea  of  a  sort  of  gingerbread  look  to  the 
place.  We  were  told  the  theatre  was  built  in  a  short  time, 
which  perhaps  accounted  for  the  quick  way  of  doing  the 
decorative  work  of  the  proscenium  and  ceiling.  However, 
a  good,  roomy  stage  and  excellent  scenery  gave  the  oppor 
tunity  for  doing  full  justice  to  one  of  Shakespeare's  comedies, 
both  in  stage  appointments  and  players,  Messrs.  Robson  and 
Crane,  and  their  daughters,  playing  the  chief  characters. 

McVicker's  Theatre  is  an  older  place  of  amusement,  and 
like  all  opera  houses  a  few  years  built,  has  begun  to  look 
dingy  and  faded.  The  same  might  be  said  of  New  York, 
London,  and  Paris  theatres ;  the  gas  and  bad  atmospheric 
ventilation  ruin  all  good  artistic  coloring  in  a  very  short 
time. 

During  our  stay  in  this  city  we  heard  the  Rev.  Mr.  Swing 
give  an  elaborate  oration  on  "the  death  of  Gen.  Garfield,  in  a 
large  and  commodious  Music  Hall,  of  very  superior  character 
for  sight  and  sound  ;  also  we  heard  some  good  solo  singing, 
and  a  well-trained  choir  added  to  the  enjoyment  (a  solemn 
one)  on  that  occasion.  Our  party  went  on  "Sunday  evening 
to  a  large  Methodist  gathering,  the  theme  being  also  on  the 
President's  tragic  death ;  speakers  of  eminence  were  there, 
and  spoke  their  thoughts  very  fluently.  Some  of  the  church 
services  in  Chicago  seem  to  be  held  in  large  halls,  over  stores, 
and  we  had  some  difficulty  in  finding  our  particular  one,  up 
two  flights  of  stairs,  right  opposite  a  large  showily  lighted 


216  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

saloon.  The  position  seemed  inappropriate  to  the  sacred 
character  of  its  calling,  but  the  residents  did  not  appear  to 
be  annoyed. 

A  visit  to  the  fire  department  of  this  city  is  an  interesting 
one,  consisting,  as'it  does,  of  three  hundred  and  seventy-six 
officers  and  men,  and  corresponding  number  of  hose  and 
hook  and  ladder  companies. 

There  are  about  two  thousand  acres  of  ground  in  and 
about  Chicago  devoted  to  parks,  and  when  completed  by  im 
provements  they  will  be  fine  recreation  grounds  for  the 
people  ;  the  cost  of  securing  this  land  was  five  million  dol 
lars. 

There  are  several  tunnels  in  Chicago,  the  most  prominent 
of  which  is  Lake  Tunnel,  completed  in  1865,  extending  from 
the  water-works  to  the  "  Crib'  in  the  lake,  two  miles  long, 
through  which  the  water  is  conducted  to  the  main  works, 
supplying  the  city  with  as  pure  water  as  can  be  found  in  the 
world. 

Racine. 

Racine  is  situated  about  sixty -five  miles  from  Chicago,  on 
Lake  Michigan,  and  the  sail  by  steamer  in  fine  weather  must 
be  very  delightful,  but  unfortunately  our  day  changed  from 
fair  weather  to  foul ;  and  as  we  had  heard  such  alarming 
accounts  of  Lake  Michigan's  fury  when  in  a  storm,  it  did  not 
allay  our  fears.  Numerous  and  fatal  shipwrecks  happen  in 
the  rough  and  boisterous  season  of  these  "  inland  seas," 
steamers  and  sailing  vessels  foundering  at  times  in  their 
treacherous  waters,  with  all  on  board ;  however,  it  was  not 
so  bad  with  us. 

We  arrived  safely  at  Racine,  a  small  city  or  township  of 
18,000  inhabitants.  The  trade  chiefly  carried  on  here  is  in 
carriages  of  durable  manufacture,  wagons,  trunks,  britannia 
ware,  and  other  metals.  The  town  is  situated  on  the  banks 
of  Lake  Michigan,  and  many  fine  residences  are  seen  of  self- 
made  men  of  the  place,  who  either  partly  own  the  stock  of 
the  busy  factories,  or  are  superintendents  of  the  same. 

A  kind  friend  entertained  the  writer  at  his  home  on  arrival, 
and  as  it  was  Saturday  evening  (promenade  night  in  country 
towns),  we  were  shown  all  the  "  lions"  of  the  place. 


EAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  217 

Milwaukee  is  about  twenty-five  miles  from  Racine  ;  and 
several  appointments,  taking  us  back  by  the  midnight  steamer 
to  Chicago,  prevented  our  seeing  what  is  said  to  be  a  very 
'charming  city,  though  a  great  gloom  has  fallen  on  the  town 
by  the  (then)  recent  calamitous  and  dreadful  fire  at  a  hotel 
there,  where  so  many  visitors  and  employees  were  sacrificed 
to  the  fiery  element,  and  which  conflagration  caused  a  great 
sympathy  of  feeling  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of 

the  land. 

"  'T  is  over,  over !  here  is  no  present  now ; 
All  life  lies  in  the  past." 

The   Stock   Yard  at  Chicago. 

The  Stock  Yard  of  Chicago  is  about  five  miles  on  the  out 
skirts  of  the  city  proper,  and  taking  the  horse-car  we  are 
carried  over  one  of  the  numerous  drawbridges  which  cut  the 
town,  as  it  were,  in  two  sections ;  we  are  thence  taken 
through  what  one  would  call  old  Chicago,  for  the  poor  aspect 
of  some  of  the  streets,  with  such  a  motley  collection  of  shabby 
tenement  houses  and  cottages,  caused  one  to  think  that  the 
big  fire  swept  awny  a  miserable  number  of  dwellings,  if  the 
better  quarter  was  anything  like  these  poor,  squalid  places 

Arriving  at  the  Stock  Yard,  we  found  almost  a  small  town 
within  the  limits  of  its  walled  enclosures  and  spacious  en 
trance  gates.  The  large  area  of  many  acres,  for  the  recep 
tion  of  cattle,  etc.,  from  all  parts  of  the  West,  comprises  a 
little  municipality  almost  of  its  own,  for  here  were  hotels, 
banks,  police  stations,  and  numerous  places  of  business, 
such  as  offices,  etc.,  for  the  owners  and  buyers,  besides  the 
miles  of  pens  for  the  cattle. 

The  hog  trade  done  here  is  well  known  as  the  head  centre 
of  the  pork-packing  business  of  the  world,  for  they  are 
slaughtered,  dressed,  and  sent  off  to  all  parts  of  the  globe. 
The  immense  supply  and  demand  for  pig  meat  must  be  won 
derfully  large,  for  we  were  told  by  one  of  the  officials  of  the 
Yard  that  as  many  as  some  three  thousand  hogs  were  killed, 
dressed,  and  packed  away  in  a  day  ;  and  on  invitation  to 
visit  the  shambles  or  slaughter  sheds,  to  see  the  practical 
woi kings  of  the  system,  a  few  moments'  insight  was  enough 
for  a  lifetime. 


RAMBLES    IN   AMERICA. 

On  entering  the  building  or  shed,  we  found  a  large,  ram 
bling-formed,  rough  place,  with  large  tables  or  benches  run 
ning  down  the  centre  ;  on  each  side  of  which  stood  a  row  of 
uncouth-looking  men  and  boys,  dressed -in  water-proof  over 
alls  and  aprons,  and  all  besmeared  with  blood.  These 
worthies  were  laughing,  singing,  cursing,  and  swearing,  and, 
armed  with  knives  of  all  sizes,  were  at  their  unpleasant  work 
of  disembowelling  the  hogs,  after  scraping  the  hair  off  the 
creatures  from  a  scalded  bath. 

The  most  painful  sight  of  the  whole  affair  was  the  commence 
ment  of  the  necessary  tragecty.  An  innocent-looking  small 
boy  gently  drives  the  poor  hogs  with  a  whip,  up  an  incline 
from  the  pens,  into  a  partitioned  sort  of  avenue  which  narrows 
at  one  end,  so  that  two  men  easily  seize  the  first  victim  which 
comes,  fasten  a  rope  and  chain  around  its  hind  legs,  head 
downwards,  when  the  body  of  the  pig  revolves  round  by  a 
kind  of  derrick  to  the  executioner,  who  stands  prepared  with 
a  long,  sharp  knife,  and  at  once  plunges  the  steel  blade 
into  the  throat  of  the  animal ;  the  blood  pours  out  in  streams, 
and  the  carcase  is  still  kept  revolving  until  its  quivering  flesh 
is  thrown  into  the  scalding  hot-water  bnth  ;  it  remains  there 
a  few  seconds  only,  is  then  lifted  out  and  passed  on  to  the 
tables,  and  rough  butcher  men,  with  their  water-proof  aprons 
and  sharp  knives,  do  the  rest  of  the  business,  that  of  scraping 
the  bristles  off  the  skins  of  the  hogs  while  the  body  is  warm. 
The  carcass  is  then  dissected  for  dressing  and  packing. 

Of  course,  it  is  necessary  that  some  persons  should  have 
to  do  this  unpleasant  work  of  preparing  food  for  us,  but  the 
brutalizing  influence  it  must  have,  particularly  on  young  men 
and  boys,  we  fear  is  somewhat  great ;  however,  our  grand 
relief  was.  to  get  away  outside  of  the  Stock  Yard  and  its 
mysteries  as  soon  as  possible. 

~Since  our  visit  to  Chicago  in  1881,  the  pioneer  Western 
city  has  grown  in  population,  wealth,  and  commerce,  and 
to-day,  in  1890,  commands  great  attention  from  all  classes 
on  the  American  continent  and  the  world  generally.  The 
contention  respecting  the  location  of  the  proposed  World's 
Fair  has  been  decided  by  a  recent  vote  of  Congress  in  favor 
of  the  lake  city,  Chicago,  to  be  held  in  1893.  The  work 
required  by  the  various  .committees  in  the  furtherance  of  the 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  219 

organization  will  need  some  skilful  handling  in  the  comple 
tion  of  this  big  undertaking.  We  trust,  however,  that  no 
animosity  of  bitter  party  feeling  from  other  disappointed 
cities  will  take  place,  and  prevent  the  great  exhibition  from 
becoming  a  positive  success,  financially  and  socially. 

Chicago  to  New  York. 

The  day  of  our  departure  to  return  eastward  happened  to 
be  the  day  of  the  funeral  obsequies  of  the  lamented  President 
Garfield,  so  that  we  found  some  difficulty  in  reaching  the 
Pennsylvania,  Pittsbnrg  &  Fort  Wayne  depot ;  the  streets 
being  blocked  with  soldiers,  populace,  and  vehicles,  as  the 
line  of  procession  was  forming  in  near  imitation  of  the  real 
funeral  pageant  then  taking  place  at  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Cer 
tainly  Chicago  had  done  her  share  in  the  way  of  mourning 
processions  and  display  of  grief .  From  the  magnificent  Court 
House,  down  to  the  humblest  dwelling-place,  black  drapery 
was  visible  everywhere,  interspersed  with  flags  at  half-mast. 

The  railway  station  we  were  leaving  is  said  to  be  the  long 
est  depot  building  in  America.  As  we  moved  homeward, 
we  were  much  surprised  to  find  such  solid,  well-built  track- 
bed  road  ;  every  few  miles  a  watchman  is  stationed  in  a  little 
wooden  house,  to  protect  the  railway  road,  and  to  give  notice 
when  out  of  repair.  The  whole  of  the  foundation  of  the 
track  level  appeared  to  be  laid  with  macadamized  stone,  and 
throughout  the  many  hundred  miles  traversed  on  this  line  to 
New  York  (via  New  Jersey)  we  observed  the  same  uniform 
and  splendid  line  of  car-road,  with  steel  rails  and  double 
track.  The  reputation  of  this  company  is  well  deserved,  and 
in  all  its  arrangements  of  speed 'and  comfort  is  almost  un 
approachable  by  any  other  corporation  of  railway  manage 
ment  in  the  country.  The  handsome,  large,  lofty,  and  well- 
lighted  cars  are  unsurpassed,  excepting  the  New^York,  New 
Haven  &  Hartford  Railway  Company  on  which  road  the  cars 
are  invariably  good  ones,  but  not  so  large  as  the  Western, 
whose  sleeping,  drawing-room,  and  ordinary  cars  are  elegant 
in  their  appointments,  and  beyond  praise  for  comfort  and  the 
rapidity  of  the  travelling  and  making  of  connections  ;  they 
are  far  better  managed  than  many  other  lines  of  long  or 
short  distance  travel. 


220  KAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 


Alleghany  Mountains. 

The  run  homeward  was  of  much  briefer  duration  by  some 
hours  than  the  circuitous  route  we  had  traversed  westward, 
by  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway  ;  but  the  chief  charm  of  the 
whole  journey  (after  a  short  stop  at  Pittsburg  for  breakfast) 
was  the  ascent  and  view  of  that  magnificent  work  of  Nature, 
the  Alleghany  Mountains*  A  large  observation  car  is 
attached  to  the  train  for  those  who  wish  for  an  uninterrupted 
view  of  the  many  miles  of  mountainous  scenery  of  so  grand 
a  character,  interspersed  by  hill,  dale,  and  valley  ;  the  incline 
of  the  ascent  is  very  gradual  by  the  engine  and  train,  and 
the  descent  is  carefully  managed  by  competent  engineers,  so 
that  no  danger  whatever  is  felt  or  experienced. 

To  express  the  magnificence  of  that  morning's  charming 
ride  would  be  simply  impossible,  it  was  so  different  from 
what  one  had  seen  before  in  this  wonderful  country,  so  full 
of  natural  scenery.  The  varied,  wild,  weird-like  views  of 
mountain  and  glen,  forest  and  lake,  on  either  side  of  us, 
were  grand  indeed.  The  eye  never  wearied  in  those  four 
hours  of  such  a  banquet  of  Nature  in  all  its  sublimity ;  the 
clear,  beautiful  sight  was  like  a  vision,  and  not  to  be  for 
gotten  for  many  a  long  day  to  come.  With  the  poet  we  might 

sav  :  — 

"  Majestic  monarch  of  the  cloud ! 

Who  rear'st  aloft  thy  regal  form, 
To  hear  the  tempest  tmmphigs  loud. 
And  see  the  lightning  lances  driven!  " 

We  might  add  an  item  of  interest  to  our  readers  ;  the 
recent  census  of  June,  1890,  enumerates  Alleghany  City  at 
105,000  population.  Alleghany  County  numbers  500,000 
inhabitants.  While  the  busy,  bituminous  city  of  Pittsburg 
counts  240,000  people,  mostly  industrious  workers  in  coal 
and  iron. 

The  Steamship   "City   of  Rome." 

While  crossing  the  North  River,  at  New  York,  and  observ 
ing  a  splendid  model  of  an  ocean  steamer,  just  arrived  from 
Liverpool,  England,  the  writer  was  curious  enough  to  ask  her 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  221 

name,  and  also  gleaned  the  following  facts,  which  are  now 
submitted  to  the  reader. 

The  steamship  "  City  of  Rome"  was  built  a  few  years  ago 
by  the  Barrow  Shipbuilding  Company,  on  the  Clyde,  origi 
nally  for  the  Inman  fleet,  but  soon  after  sold  to  the  Anchor 
Line,  and  is  to-day  a  favorite  ocean  flyer  between  Liverpool 
and  New  York.  At  the  launching  of  this  magnificent 
steamer,  more  than  usual  interest  was  attached  to  the  inci 
dent,  owing  to  the  fact  that  she  was  the  largest  vessel  in  the 
mercantile  service,  and  in  engines  the  most  powerful. 

The  "City  of  Rome,"  in  structural  proportion  and  design, 
presented  a  remarkable  contrast  to  the  late  "  Great  Eastern" 
steamship,  to  which  she  stood  next  in  magnitude  on  the 
ocean  highway ;  the  latter  vessel  resembled  a  stately  ark, 
with  towering  walls  and  ponderous  hull,  massive  and  stupen 
dous  rather  than  elegant.  The  conditions  are  reversed  in  the 
newer  product  of  naval  architecture. 

The  "  City  of  Rome"  is  of  great  length,  of  tapering  form, 
symmetrical  lines,  and  graceful  mould,  so  that  the  inex 
perienced  observer  is  scarcely  able  to  realize  her  enormous 
dimensions ;  her  tonnage  is  returned  as  being  8,826  tons. 
The  length  of  this  leviathan  vessel  is  586  feet,  her  breadth 
of  beam  is  52  feet,  and  'her  depth  of  hold  75  feet,  while 
her  beautifully  modulated  line  suggest  to  the  beholder  an 
impression  of  buoyant  grace  rather  than  that  of  vast  magni 
tude  ;  yet  her'carmng  power,  notwithstanding  the  clipper 
bow,  rounded  stern,  and  trim  masts,  is  as  great  as  any  other 
vessel  afloat. 

The  magnificent  engines  are  intended  to  work  constantly 
at  8,000  indicated  horse-power,  although  capable  of  develop 
ing  upwards  of  10,000.  A  technical  description  of  the  en 
gines  would  hardly  be  intelligible  to  the  unprofessional  reader, 
and  it  is  enough  to  say  that  they  are  not  only  of  giant  power, 
but  include  all  the  latest  improvements  for  economizing  force, 
and  holding  them  under  the  readiest  control. 

This  fine  steamer  can  carry  about  six  thousand  tons  of 
cargo  and  oftentimes  as  many  as  two  thousand  human 
beings  across  the  Atlantic.  The  internal  arrangements  and 
appointments  for  the  convenience  of  passengers  and  crew  are 
of  the  most  admirable  character.  The  state-room  berths  of 


222  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

the  cabin  passengers  are  spacious  and  airy,  while  those  for 
the  emigrants,  of  whom  the  "City  of  Rome"  carries  an 
immense  complement,  are  open,  well  lighted,  and  well  appor 
tioned.  The  saloons,  boudoirs,  smoking  rooms,  bath-rooms 
and  drawing-room  parlors  are  furnished  in  a  luxurious  style, 
with  rich  ornamentations,  and  every  appliance  to  make  the 
voyage  pleasant  and  comfortable  ;  all  the  principal  apart 
ments  and  engine-room  are  lighted  with  electric  light 
(Ste vena's  lamps),  and  the  scene  at  night  is  as  brilliant,  as  at 
noonday.  The  vessel  is,  in  fact,  a  floating  palace,  and 
though  others  of  the  great  ocean-going  steamships  may  rival 
her  in  this  character  and  speed,  none  excel  her  in  luxury, 
while  in  capacity  and  engine  power  she  is  in  the  front  rank 
of  England's  mercantile  marine.  This  magnificent  vessel,  at 
the  time  of  my  writing,  was  under  the  command  of  Capt.  J. 
Kennedy. 

Since  the  "  City  of  Rome"  was  built,  oilier  superb  steam 
ers  have  been  modelled  and  launched,  such  as  the  "  Etruria," 
"Aurania,"  and  "  Umbria,"  of  the  celebrated  Cunard  Line  of 
ocean  greyhounds;  the  "America,"  of  the  National  Lino,  a 
fleet  sailer  ;  with  the  sister  ships  of  the  Inman  Company,  **  Cit}T 
of  New  York"  and  "  City  of  Paris."  The  latter  vessel  was 
the  queen  of  the  seas  up  to  February,  1890,  for  speed;  her 
latest  record  across  the  Atlantic  being  six  days  and  fouiteen 
hours.  Each  of  these  vessels'  tonnage  is  returned  at  the 
colossal  figures  of  10.500  horse-power  each.*  A  new  vessel 
for  the  White  Star  Line,  called  the  "  Majestic,"  said  to  be 
of  immense  power,  is  now  champion  of  the  ocean. 

The  Steamship  "Austral." 

The  "  Austral,"  of  the  Anchor  Line,  chartered  for  Atlantic 
trips  during  the  summer  of  1*84,  is  a  fine  model  of  a  vessel ; 
not  so  large  as  the  "  City  of  Rome,"  but  spacious  enough  to 
accommodate  eight  hundred  passengers  of  all  classes,  and 
two  hundred  officers,  seamen,  stokers,  trimmers,  engineers, 
stewards,  waiters,  etc. 

The  writer  of  these  pages  was  one  of  the  thousand  souls 
that  traversed  the  wide  waters  of  the  Atlantic  in  September. 
1884,  on  the  return  journey  to  America  from  a  three  months' 


RAMBLES    IN    AMEHICA.  223 

visit  to  kind  relatives  in  Scotland  and  England  ;  and  from 
the  occasional  fearful  rocking  and  lurching  of  the  huge 
vessel,  we  do  not  recommend  the  equinoctial  gale  month 
(September)  as  a  pleasant  time  to  travel.  Cold,  cutting 
winds  and  rain-storms  made  the  trip  very  unpleasant ;  about 
two  thirds  of  the  passengers  were  prostrated  with  seasick 
ness,  and  of  that  charming  complaint  the  narrator  suffered 
very  much.  One  afternoon  in  particular,  some  persons  said 
they  were  altering  the  sailing-gear ;  anyway,  while  we  were 
quietly  reading  on  deck,  the  huge,  two-funelled  and  four- 
masted  steamer  gave  such  a  roll  to  one  side  that  passengers 
and  all  kinds  of  crockery  were  sent  flying  in  every  direction. 
Some  of  us  closed  our  eyes  for  the  return  lurch,  thinking  of 
a  capsize,  but  the  sturdy  vessel  righted  itself,  and  the 
blanched  faces  of  the  passengers  was  a  good  subject  for 
jibes  by  the  unfeeling  crew. 

Another  little  episode  in  connection  with  this  steamship 
About  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  the  wind  blowing  a  stiff 
breeze,  we  were  awakened  in  our  cabin  berths  by  a  large 
body  of  water  forcing  its  way  into  our  sleeping  apartment. 
We  immediately  thought  that  the  ship  had  sprung  a  leak, 
and  everybody  awoke  in  a  moment ;  sitting  up  in  bed,  with 
the  aid  of  the  electric  light,  could  see  a  steady  stream  pour 
ing  in.  Some  of  us  began  hurriedly  to  dress,  while  one 
young  fellow,  an  Irishman,  fresh  from  Dublin,  with  no  other 
apparel  but  a  night-shirt  on  him,  leaped  from  his  berth,  ran 
to  the  companiouway,  and  there  screamed,  kt  Watch  !  Mur 
der  !  The  ship  is  sinking  !  "  etc.  He  told  us  afterwards  that 
not  a  soul  on  deck  paid  the  least  attention  to  him,  so  he  came 
down  and  waded  through  the  water  to  his  bed  again.  I  he 
officer  i.f  the  watch  came  calmly  along,  some  time  after 
wards,  and  said  the  leakage  was  caused  by  one  of  the  large 
water  tanks  bursting,  and  advised  us  to  go  to  sleep,  if  pos 
sible,  once  more.  The  young  Dublinite  was  a  singer  of 
some  repute,  but  the  promenade  on  the  deck  in  his  thin  ha 
biliments  caused  him  to  have  a  severe  cold  and  loss  of  voice. 
We  may  mention  that  among  the  frightened  passengers  at 
this  time  were  two  deaf  and  dumb  young  men,  who,  when 
they  saw  the  '•  leakage,"  sat  bolt  upright  in  their  berth,  and 
talked  like  inspired  mutes,  with  their  finger  vocabulary,  till 
the  excitement  subsided. 


11'  I  liAMHLMS    IN     AMKltlOA. 

(<reat  credit  is  duo  to  (In-  liberality  of  tin-  Anchor  Lino 
Company  for  I  ho  bountiful  table  of  nil  sorts  of  viands.  The 
chief  steward,  in  his  order  for  the  il:i\,  was  never  nifffffcrdlv 
in  his  hill  Of  faro.  Kvorything  promised  in  ilu-  (list,  anil 
second  cabins  was  faithfully  carried  out,  and  no  doubt  the 
steerage  accommodation  was  a  fnir  average  of  excellence, 
considering'  the  small  fare  charged  for  the  voyage. 

Steamship  "  Devonlrt." 

So  much  for  the  »•  Austral."  Let  us  glance  hack  for  a 
few  moments  to  another  of  the  numerous  steamships  of  the 
Anchor  Lino  Hoot*  the  *k  Dovonia,"  a  tints  spacious  vessel,  of 
somewhat  less  tonnage  than  the  "  Austral,"  hut  to  tho  inex 
perienced,  u  fair-si/cd  boat  to  manage  in  foul  weather. 
LQ&vinff  the  pier  at  North  I\iver,  New  York,  with  the  salu 
tations  and  ii'ood  wishes  of  kind  friends,  we  started,  in  com 
pany  with  tho  **  Ari/.ona,"  tlu^  kk  I'Vypt,"  the  *k  Hritaunio," 
and  somo  Kronch  and  (icrman  steamors,  all  on  a  summer 
cruise  to  Kuropo.  Tho  larger  and  more  powerful  steamers 
••''•MI  outstrip  those  of  smaller  calihre,  and  hoforo  night  \\c 
all  got  separated,  and  then  began  tho  discussion  on  the 
merits  of  tho  diflVrout  favorites  of  tho  ocean  highway. 

A  trip  from  New  York  to(«lasgow  is  one  of  those  hvni 
only  to  be  met  with  in  midsummer  time.  \Vith  the  excep 
tion  of  tho  disagreeable  fogs  on  tho  hanks  of  Newfoundland, 
the  voyage  was  almost  ou  a  calm  sou,  and  flue  weather  over 
head.  As  tho  Fourth  of  .Inly  was  OHO  of  our  ocean  days, 
tho  celebration  was  kept  up  by  all  tho  passengers ;  pride 
lost  itself  in  the  distinction  of  classes  for  a  while,  and  all 
went  in  for  a  real  good  time  throughout  the  day.  Tho  cele 
bration  included  racing  around  the  spacious  vessel,  jumping 
in  sacks,  procession  of  antiques  and  horribles,  concerts  in 
tho  afternoon  and  evening,  also  recitations  and  speech 
recitals  in  commemoration  of  the  dav  of  independence. 
Scotch,  Knglish,  Americans,  ami  Irish  all  joined  in  celebrat 
ing,  the  ladies  taking  a  prominent  part  in  tho  fcstivitios; 
dancing  on  the  i|ii:utor-doek  concluded  tho  celebration  of  the 
Konrth  of  July,  1SS1,  on  shipboard  in  mid-ocean.  Kxtra 
delicacies  in  the  eatir.g  and  drinking  line  were  provided  by 


K.VM1U  I'S     IN      VMriUrV. 


the  chief  steward,  and  the  purser  hud  charge  of  the  concerts 
ami  dancing.  The  captain,  otlloer*,  engineers,  and  the 
small  army  of  sailors  and  helpers  all  seemed  to  thoroughly 
enjoy  the  national  dav, 

A  trip  to  Kuropo  oy  the  Anchor  Line  embraces  a  good 
deal  ;  particularly  if  the  tourist  travels  by  way  of  (Jlasgow,  for 
the  Meamor  torn  hes  :it  Mo\ille  \  i:i  1  .oudondorrv,  in  Ireland, 
skirting  the  Kmerald  Isle,  in  all  its  bounty  of  lovely  green 
tints  of  verdure;  and  then  we  have  a  line  view  of  the 
*'  (  J  iunt's  (Causeway,"  looking  very  grand  and  majestic  with 
its  dark,  frowning  headland,  ovcrhitnging  bluffs,  and  llssuios 
of  the  steep  Causeway.  The  soonorv  about  Antrim  and 
Derry,  in  fact,  all  the  sister  counties  in  Ireland,  seems  teem 
ing  with  fresh,  natural  beauties. 

As  the  "Dcvonia"  speeded  on,  wo  approached  the  west 
ern  coast  of  Scotland  and  the  wild  rugged  landscape  of 
moorland;  although  the  brown  heather  seemed  in  direct  con 
trast  to  the  glistening  given  we  had  lately  left,  yet  the  pie- 
turestpio  mountains  and  glens,  hills  and  dales  of  the  beautiful 
Mull  of  Cantarro,  Isle  of  Arran,  and  other  magnillcent  views 
of  natural  scenery  would  almost  bewilder  the  traveller  in 
choosiii;>-  between  the  two  styles  of  verdant  green  and  rooky 
mountain  celebrities 

\Vc  glided  along  past,  other  points  of  great  interest,  histor 
ically  as  well  as  naturally,  till  wo  sighted  (iroonook,  a 
Scotch  seaport  of  some  enterprise,  and  the  rendezvous  for 
custom-house  ollleers  to  examine  passengers'  baggage,  all 
articles  therein  being  passed  without,  delay  or  trouble.  We 
wish  we  could  say  as  much  for  the  New  York  ollleiaU.  Such 
confusion,  sueh  tumbling  out  of  trunks  .-it  the  i-.-u-,-  ollloc  in 
New  York,  was  almost  bewildering;  then  the  delays  by  (he 
cabin  passengers'  Iwygage  getting  mixed  with  other  steamers' 
liijy.Mj'c  rereiilly  Mi-rived  Vsn  iu>  I  ural  con  c.|ii.-u.  .-  ,  n,  :n  1\ 
everything  entering  America  (except  individual  clothing  and 
personal  effects)  has  a  duty  put  on  ;  and  it  It  laughable  to 
see  how  persistent  some  olllcors  art*  to  ferret  out,  while  others 
arc  .somewhat  good-natured  in  their  search.  II  reminds  one 
of  tluv  old  proverb,  u  They  stniiii  :it  a  gnat,  and  swallow  a 
camel."  They  let  go,  and  pass  .>metimcs,  most  ^hiring 
!)n:iclics  (>t'tlu>  law,  and  detain  goods  of  a  most,  trivial  value 


226  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

overnight,  to  be  returned  next  day,  compelling  passengers  to 
stay  at  a  hotel  and  incur  expenses,  through  their  red-tape 
vagaries. 

But  to  return  from  this  digression,  and  get  to  Glasgow 
from  Greenock,  which  can  be  done  by  river  or  rail ;  we  pre 
ferred  the  latter,  having  had  nearly  enough  of  water  travel 
ling  for  the  present,  and  trusted  in  viewing  the  shipbuilding 
yards  along  the  Clyde  at  a  future  time. 

As  it  is  not  our  intention  to  dilate  at  length  on  descriptions 
of  the  Old  Country,  but  confine  ourselves  in  most  particulars 
to  the  New  WorH,  a  few  words  about  Great  Britain  may  not 
be  uninteresting  to  the  general  reader ;  but  any  attempt  to 
describe  the  immensity  of  London,  England,  would  require  a 
large  volurm  of  its  own. 

The   Prince   of  Wales  in  Edinburgh. 

We  met  some  hundreds  of  Americans  in  all  parts  of 
Europe,  particularly  about  Edinburgh,  which  is  a  starting 
point  of  historical  interest ;  and  we  were  especially  fortunate 
(that  is,  if  one  is  fond  of  royalty)  in  being  present  in  Edin 
burgh  on  Aug.  23,  1884,  when  the  Prince  and  Princess  of 
Wales,  their  two  sons  and  three  daughters,  arrived  in  the 
Scotch  city,  and  visited  the  forestry  exhibition,  —  a  collection 
of  various  Scottish  woods  in  their  crude  state,  and  also  in 
the  perfection  of  mechanical  finish. 

The  Queen's  eldest  son  looked  as  fat  and  jolly  as  ever ; 
his  wife,  the  Princess  of  Wales,  appeared  as  young,  pretty, 
and  amiable  as  when  first  married.  Their  sons  and  daugh 
ters  seemed  healthy-looking  young  people ;  the  princesses 
were  very  plainly  dressed,  without  any  apparent  ostentation 
whatever,  looking  like  young  ladies  just  returning  from 
school  studies  ;  the  oldest  daughter,  Louise,  was  married  to 
the  Karl  (now  Duke)  of  Fife  during  the  season  of  1889. 

The  illustrious  visitors  were  the  guests  of  the  Earl  and 
Countess  of  Roseberry,  of  Dalmeny  Park,  situated  about  six 
miles  from  Edinburgh.  This  estate  is  very  large,  compris 
ing  many  miles  of  forest,  wood,  and  deer  land,  also  acres  of 
cultivated  gardens.  The  young  owner  of  this  fine  domain  is 
very  popular  in  Mid-Lothian  ;  the  canny  Scotch  people  appre- 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  227 

ciate  his  liberal  and  kindly  nature,  in  his  strenuous  efforts 
for  political  reform  of  long-standing  abuses.  His  amiable 
wife,  the  Countess  of  Roseberry,  is  the  daughter  of  Baron 
Lionel  Rothschild,  and  her  dowry  at  her  marriage  a  few 
years  ago  was  said  to  be  something  away  up  in  the  millions. 

The  Prince  of  Wales  at  the  Forth  Bridge. 

About  two  miles  distant  from  the  Roseberry  property  is  a 
quaint  old  burgh  or  township,  called  "  Queensferry,"  at  pres 
ent  brought  greatly  into  notice  by  the  stupendous  undertak 
ing  of  difficult  and  dangerous  big-bridge  building  from  its 
shores.  The  Forth  railwny  bridge,  then  being  constructed 
across  the  wide  part  of  the  Frith  of  Forth,  an  arm  of  the  sea, 
and  lately  completed,  is  one  of  the  marvels  of  engineering 
skill,  and  will  admit  of  vessels,  of  every  tonnage,  sailing 
under.  The  structure  is  somewhat  similar  in  construction  to 
the  Brooklyn  East  River  bridge,  excepting  the  Forth  bridge 
is  of  cantilever  design,  and  with  such  invariably  rough  wind 
and  weather,  as  often  happens  on  the  Scotch  coast,  made 
this  colossal  work  a  serious  and  hazardous  experiment 
of  cantilever  bridge  building.  A  cablegram  from  London, 
March  4,  1890,  informs  us  that  "The  new  great  cantilever 
bridge  ov,er  the  Forth,  near  Edinburgh,  was  opened  to-day 
by  the  Prince  of  Wales,  in  the  presence  of  many  eminent 
engineers,  railway  directors,  and  a  great  mass  of  spectators. 
The  day  was  kept  as  a  holiday  in  Edinburgh,  Leith,  and  many 
surrounding  towns,  causing  much  rejoicing  over  the  opening  of 
the  bridge."  Thus  the  great  railways  of  Scotch  and  English 
interests  will  be  materially  enhanced  by  the  connection  of 
both  shores,  Queensferry  and  Fife,  and  a  saving  of  time  to 
travellers.  The  Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales  and  family, 
also  Mr.  Gladstone,  then  Premier  of  England,  were  much 
interested  in  this  Forth  bridge  undertaking. 

It  was  interesting  to  notice  the  big,  burly  Scotch,  English, 
and  Irish  workmen  look  on  with  curious  eyes  at  the  august 
party  of  royal  visitors,  and  these  poor  fellows  no  doubt 
wondered  how  it  was  that  some  were  so  rich,  without  work 
(except  Gladstone) ,  and  others  so  poor  with  work. 

Many  casualties  and  fatalities  happened  during  the  build- 


228  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

ing  of  this  bridge  and  the  writer  saw  ambulances  ready  at 
the  hotel  near  the  river  side,  and  was  told  that  surgeons  were 
in  daily  requisition  to  attend  to  the  poor  unfortunate  bruised 
workers. 

Baronetcies  have  been  conferred  upon  Mr.  Thompson,  the 
chairman  of  the  Forth  Bridge  Company,  and  Sir  John  Fowler, 
consulting  engineer  of  the  work.  Mr.  Baker,  the  chief  en 
gineer  of  the  bridge,  and  Mr.  Arrol,  the  contractor,  have 
been  knighted.  Thus  these  gentlemen  have  been  honored  by 
the  Queen  of  England,  as  a  tribute  to  their  skill  and  ability 
in  carrying  out  an  undertaking  second  to  none  in  the  way  of 
difficult  bridge  building.  The  cost  of  this  cantilever  struct 
ure  is  said  to  amount  to  a  fabulous  sum,  viz.,  3,177,206 
pounds  sterling,  and  it  took  several  years  to  complete  it. 
Fifty  thousand  tons  of  steel  were  used,  combined  in  spans  of 
unparalleled  size,  for.  this  greatest  work  known  to  the  civil 
ized  world. 

A  short  carriage  ride  from  Queensf erry  takes  the  tourist  to 
the  Earl  of  Hopetoun's  estate,  situated  on  the  banks  of  the 
Frith  of  Forth,  and  is  called  the  "Versailles  of  Scotland.'7 
The  private  garden  of  flower  grounds  is  truly  magnificent, 
comprising  ninety  acres,  and  the  forestry  laud  and  deer  park 
beyond  are  splendid ;  hundreds  of  fallow  deer  were  seen 
quietly  grazing  in  the  glades.  We  saw  two  trees,  planted 
the  day  before  our  visit  by  the  Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales  ; 
and  two  other  trees  were  shown  us,  planted  by  the  King  of 
Denmark  and  his  daughter  (the  Princess  of  Wales)  while  on 
a  visit  ten  years  before.  The  mansion  of  the  Earl  of  Hope- 
toun  is  built  of  gray  granite,  and  is  in  the  French  style  of 
architecture;  the  mansion  is  very  spacious,  and  beautifully 
furnished  and  decorated. 

The  Right  Honorable  Ewart  Gladstone  in  Edinburgh. 

During  our  stay  with  kind  relatives  in  Edinburgh,  the 
Honorable  Ewart  Gladstone  was  making  a  tour  through  Mid- 
Lothian,  and  giving  addresses  to  immense  audiences  on  his 
views  of  the  franchise  bill,  and  defending  his  policy  against 
the  antagonism  of  the  House  of  Lords.  -  We  were  presented 
with  a  ticket  of  admission  to  hear  this  wonderful  political 


KAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  229 

orator,  in  the  large,  covered  building  called  "  Waverley 
Market,"  holding  some  twenty  thousand  people.  The  im 
press  of  that  marvellous  voice,  as  we  listened  on  the  edge  of 
that  great  crowd  of  upturned  faces,  was  truly  interesting. 
Full,  mellow,  and  sonorous,  with  good  emphasis,  the  veteran 
statesman  delivered  his  views  with  manly  unction  and  much 
independence  ;  and  as  he  and  his  party,  including  the  Earl 
of  Roseberry,  left  the  thronged  hall,  a  deafening  shout  of 
approbation  vibrated  through  the  building.  The  equipages 
of  his  young  host  (Roseberry)  were  truly  regal ;  most  of  the 
carriages  have  four  horses,  with  postillions,  preceded  by 
outriders  and  mounted  police.  The  royal  escort  is  generally 
made  up  of  mounted  dragoons. 

The  Royal  Blind  Asylum  at  Edinburgh. 

Before  bidding  adieu  to  Edinburgh,  where  the  writer  has 
passed  many  happy  dnys  with  hospitable  friends,  please  follow 
him  into  a  very  meritorious  building,  called  The  Royal  Blind 
Asylum  and  School,  at  Edinburgh  In  company  with  a 
Scotch  gentleman,  the  narrator  a  few  years  since  visited  the 
above  institution.  About  two  hundred  and  fifty  blind  per 
sons,  mostly  men,  were  in  the  asylum.  Nearly  two  hundred 
of  these  were  engaged  in  different  kinds  of  industry,  and  all 
of  them  appeared  anxious  to  do  what  they  could  towards 
their  own  maintenance.  As  we  were  shown  through  the 
various  departments,  it  was  astonishing  to  witness  the  alac 
rity  and  ingenuity  of  the  afflicted  inmates,  by  the  aptitude 
displayed  in  the  different  workings  of  their  handicraft. 

Brushes,  mats,  mattresses,  and  all  kinds  of  plain  and 
fancy  baskets  were  some  of  the  articles  manufactured  there. 
The  weaving  was  most  interesting ;  the  working  of  the 
shuttle  and  threads  of  the  looms  seemed  to  be  executed  with 
close  precision.  In  the  mattress  room  our  attention  was 
directed  to  the  fine  but  sightless  face  of  a  middle-aged  man, 
who  grew  quite  animated  and  eloquent  in  his  conversation 
with  us,  respecting  the  large  concourse  of  people  who  would 
probably  be  at  the  monster  meeting,  to  be  held  that  evening 
in  the  Waverley  Market  building,  to  listen  to  Mr.  Glad 
stone,  in  his  great  address  on  the  franchise  bill  to  the  electors 
of  Mid-Lothian. 


230  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

In  another  room,  a  blind  man  was  shown  us  as  an  extreme 
case  of  affliction.  This  unfortunate  some  years  ago  went 
to  his  bed  for  slumber,  and  when  the  sun  rose  in  the  morning 
the  patient  realized  the  sad  fact  that  his  sight  had  left  him 
in  the  night-time.  His  resignation  was  wonderful,  and  when 
we  evinced  our  sympathy,  the  poor  fellow  smiled,  and  said 
the  affliction  happened  a  long  lime  ago,  and  he  was  quite 
reconciled  to  his  fate  some  while  since. 

In  the  anteroom  of  the  building  were  a  number  of  porters, 
or  messengers,  awaiting  to  be  sent  out  with  goods  or  mes 
sages  to  various  parts  o'f  the  city.  Most  of  these  men  were 
totally  blind,  yet  able  to  find  their  way  about  the  "  Modern 
Athens."  as  if  by  instinct,  for  Nature  seems  to  have  furnished 
them  with  very  subtle  and  acute  powers  of  hearing  each  and 
every  motion  of  sound.  Groat  praise  is  due  to  those  noble- 
hearted  gentlemen,  the  founders  and  donors  of  this  admir 
able  institution,  on  behalf  of  suffering  humanity.  Any 
American  tourist,  travelling  to  Europe,  and  visiting  Scotland, 
would  be  much  interested  by  inspecting  this  Asylum  for  the 
Blind.  A  large  store,  or  show  room,  for  the  sale  of  articles 
made  by  the  inmates,  is  in  the  front  part  of  the  building.  In 
saying  a  last  word  of  this  laudable  effort  to  assist  the  unfor 
tunate,  and  of  this  home  and  shelter  for  the  afflicted  of  God's 
creatures,  and,  as  we  may  say,  a  refuge  for  those  who,  were 
it  not  for  such  grand  institutions,  would  in  some  cases  nlmost 
die  of  despair  and  discouragement,  in  ruminating  on  their 
blank  and  sightless  lives,  and  dark  future  before  them.  It  is 
pleasant  to  remember  that  England  and  America  stand  side 
by  side  in  their  Christian-like  endeavors  to  alleviate  pain  and 
misery.  Occupation,  with  remunerative  encouragement,  takes 
away,  in  some  measure,  the  shadow  from  the  patients'  lives, 
and  replaces  a  joyousness  at  times  surprising  to  many  of 
us  to  witness,  when  we,  with  our  glorious  vision  unimpaired, 
behold  the  grandeur  of  the  beauties  of  Nature  and  Art,  and 
yet  oftentimes  murmur  at  our  lot  in  this  bright  world  of  ours. 

Excursions  from  Edinburgh. 

Every  fine  morning  in  summer  time,  Princes  Street  (the 
leading" thoroughfare  of  Edinburgh)  is  teeming  with  tanned- 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  231 

faced  tourists,  many  Americans  among  them,  hastening  to 
the  various  excursion  stages  to  Roslin  Castle,  Queensferry 
and  other  places.  The  drivers  of  these  four-horse  coaches 
are  a  sort  of  relict  of  bygone  days  ;  they  wear  a.  faded,  stained, 
scarlet  coat,  and  an  old-fnshioned  white  hat,  a  typical  Jehu  of 
years  ago,  when  Pickwick  used  to  go  abroad  with  Mr.  Weller, 
senior.  As  we  started  in  car  or  stage  together,  for  the  day 
or  more,  the  company  generally  fraternized,  and  often  very 
enjoyable  times  were  spent  thus,  the  Americans  seeming 
pleased  with  all  they  saw,  whether  it  was  Edinburgh  City  or 
the  ancient  Castle,  with  its  beautiful  garden  surroundings. 
Calton  Hill  by  night  gives  a  magnificent  effect  of  illuminated 
views  from  its  many  terraces,  looking  down  on  the  new  town 
and  below  on  the  old  town,  with  its  circular  range  of  electric 
and  gas  orbs,  the  myriads  of  which  give  the  charming  old 
city  a  wild,  weird,  and  curious  spectacle  of  panoramic  vision, 
as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach.  Arthur's  Seat,  being  the  highest 
peak,  has  superb  views  therefrom  ;  Holyrood  Palace  and  its 
dark  deeds  of  years  ago  ;  Sir  Walter  Scott's  magnificent  monu 
ment  ;  quaint  old  Stirling  Castle,  and  its  murders  and  bloody 
strife,  on  the  adjacent  fields  of  Ban  nock  burn,  between  the 
English  and  Scotch  ;  Bruce's  monument,  towering  on  the 
heights  ;  looking,  as  it  were,  towards  the  Bridge  of  Allan  for 
a  calm  haven  of  rest  from  warfare.  Then  the  charming 
windings  of  the  Frith  of  Forth  River  make  a  steamboat  ride 
very  pleasant  from  Leith  harbor  to  Stirling. 

Innumerable  pretty  places  there  are  on  the  coast,  such  as 
Portobello,  Mussulboro,  Aberdoir,  sea-shore  resorts  in  fine 
weather  for  tourists  and  natives.  Some  fine  mornings, 
parties  meet  together  for  a  few  days'  sojourn  to  the  beauti 
ful  Trossachs,  of  which  so  much  has  been  said  and  sung, 
and  for  charming  scenery  it  is  supposed  to  be  unsurpassed, 
in  its  weird,  wild  grandeur  of  hill  and  lake  views. 

Jn  quitting  Edinburgh,  one  feels  like  leaving  an  old  friend  ; 
yet  we  are  in  the  cars  en  route  to  the  busy  city  of  Glasgow, 
where  in  two  hours'  time  we  alight  and  proceed  to  the  wharf 
for  the  steamer  to  carry  us  across  the  Irish  Channel  to 
Dublin  ;  dropping  down  the  teeming,  murky  Clyde  River,  of 
ship-building  industry  fame,  to  Greenock,  to  take  in  more 
passengers.  The  indefatigable  Yankee  was  on  board,  and 


232  RAMBLES    IN   AMERICA. 

had  his  share  of  a  rough  roll  across  the  Irish  Channel,  the 
chopping  seas  and  cross-currents  making  the  fifteen  hours' 
sail  generally  a  sickly  passage. 

Dublin. 

On  entering  Dublin  Bay,  the  sight  in  the  morning  repays 
one  for  the  discomfort  of  the  night  before.  There  was  the 
usual  confusion  on  landing,  hack  and  cab  drivers  swearing 
and  quarrelling  to  get  the  first  passenger  to  fleece,  importu 
nate  beggars  in  patches  and  rags  offering  their  services  for 
baggage  carrying,  etc.,  and  till  one  is  whirled  away  from 
the  racket  to  his  hotel,  no  peace  is  given. 

Dublin  City  is  divided  by  a  narrow  river  called  the  Liffey, 
and  has  numerous  bridges.  The  best  public  buildings  ap 
peared  to  be  the  Four  Courts,  though  tin-re  are  many  others. 
Sackville  Street  has  some  good  stores,  and  is  the  fashionable 
promenade.  Guinness'  Stout  Works  is  an  immense  build 
ing,  employing  some  hundreds  of  men. 

The  Castle  and  other  places  of  interest  were  pointed  out 
by  the  Irish  car-driver,  with  a  mixture  of  sarcasm  and  dry 
Wit.  The  jaunting-car  is  qui'e  peculiar  to  the  country,  but 
the}7  go  fast,  and  one  can  view  everything,  besides  hearing 
the  remarks  of  the  ragged  driver.  He  wanted  to  know  if  I 
was  from  New  York,  and  fifty  other  questions  of  the  same 
calibre;  how  he  would  like  to  go  America,  etc.  He  con 
tinued  talking  and  expatiating,  as  we  drove  through  Phoenix 
Park,  a  magnificent  place,  with  many  fine  old  trees  and 
beautiful  emerald-green  grass  land.  As  my  guide  pointed 
out  the  spot  where  Lord  Cavendish  and  Mr.  Burke  were 
murdered,  almost  opposite  the  viceroy's  mansion,  he  sud- 
denlv  said,  "  Look,  there  is  a  fine  view."  It  was  truly  a 
magnificent  sight,  looking  out  from  the  park.  Then  he 
said,  u  There  is  another  sight,  not  quite  so  pleasant,  "  point 
ing  in  the  direction  of  Kilmanhain  Jail,  "  where  the  poor 
boys  were  brought  out  and  slaughtered  ;  bad  luck  to  the  spal 
peens  that  done  it!"  I  remarked  quietly,  "  The  poor  boys 
should  not  commit  murder!"  All  over  Phoenix  Park  were 
mounted  constabulary  stationed,  as  well  as  foot  police, 
placing  everybody,  as  it  were,  under  strict  surveillance  and 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  233 

espionage.  The  burly  car-driver  gave  the  officials  a  few 
curses  as  we  left  the  park,  and  soon  afterwards  stopped  at  a 
tavern,  where  he  said  they  sold  the  best  whiskey  and  stout 
in  Dublin.  In  paying  this  man  for  the  ride,  and  giving  him 
his  dram  money,  we  were  satisfied  for  one  day's  recreation  in 
Old  Ireland. 

A  few  miles  from  Dublin  is  Kingston  harbor,  a  splendid 
seaport,  where  vessels  of  large  size  can  ride  at  anchor  in  its 
roads.  The  Duke  of  Edinburgh  and  the  channel  fleet  were 
off  Kingston  during  our  short  visit.  The  Queen's  second 
eldest  son  is  admiral  of  these  fine  men-of-war,  and  hoisted 
his  pennant  on  the  flag-ship  of  one  of  the  largest.  The 
clean,  orderly  appearance  of  these  steam  war-ships  was  very 
noticeable,  and  the  healthy-looking  jack  tars  appeared  as  if 
they  could  fight  when  needed. 

Dublin  to  Cork. 

The  long  steam-car  ride  from  Dublin  to  Cork  gives  the 
tourist  a  fine  opportunity  of  seeing  many  Irish  counties, 
passing  through  Tipperary,  Limerick,  ClonmeU,  Kildare, 
and  several  others.  As  we  proceeded,  some  painful  scenes 
of  parting  at  the  country  stations  were  witnessed  ;  the  old 
father  and  aged  mother  clinging  in  a  wild  embrace  over  a 
daughter  or  son,  about  leaving  for  America,  sobbing  and 
wailing  as  the  conductor  gave  the  signal,  and  friends  trying 
to  separate  parents  and  children,  was  a  melancholy  scene  ; 
but  it  is  astonishing  how  soon  the  young  people  recover  from 
the  separation,  when  on  board  the  ocean  steamer,  and  do 
any  amount  of  flirting. 

In  due  time  we  arrived  in  Cork,  which  is  a  pretty  lively 
city,  with  some  business  pretensions,  and  like  Dublin,  a 
narrow  river  divides  the  town.  A  very  pleasant  sail  down 
Cork  harbor  in  fine  weather  is  truly  enjoyable,  the  scenery 
being  quite  picturesque. 

We  arrived  at  Queenstown's  natural  harbor  (a  few  miles 
from  Cork)  on  a  Saturday  evening,  and  next  morning  at 
nine  o'clock -we  were  ordered  on  board  a  tug  to  meet  the 
New  York  steamer  "  Austral,"  which  was  expected  from 
Liverpool  about  that  time  ;  her  big  hull  did  not  come  in 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

sighl,  however,  till  twelve  o'clock,  noon  ;  when  we  immedi 
ately  boarded  her,  en  route  to  America  once  more,  this  being 
ihejifih  experience  of  the  writer's  crossing  the  Atlantic. 

London  and  its  Environs. 

When  in  London  (this  journey)  the  narrator  was  pleased 
to  give  several  American  gentlemen  and  ladies  some  infor 
mation  respecting  the  great  metropolis  and  its  environs, 
including  such  institutions  of  recreation  and  learning  as  the 
British  Museum  and  its  magnificent  reading-room  ;  South 
Kensington  Museum  and  fine-art  galleries  ;  the  Health  Ex 
hibition  at  the  superb  Albert  Hall ;  the  horticultural  flower 
shows,  and  the  Botanical  and  Zoological  Gardens,  Regent's 
Park. 

The  finest  parks  in  the  world  may  be  chosen  from  the 
following :  Hyde  Park,  St,  James  Park,  near  Buckingham 
Palace  and  gardens,  and  Regent's  Park  are  situated  west 
ward  ;  southward  is  Battersea  Park,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Thames  River,  a  truly  magnificent  place  of  modern  formation 
for  the  people,  with  recreation  grounds  for  cricket,  base-ball, 
and  bicycle-riding  avenues ;  while  to  the  north  there  are 
Alexander  Palace,  Finsbury  and  Victoria  Parks,  a  great 
boon  to  the  poor  workers  of  East  and  North  London. 

In  connection  with  these  public  enclosures,  there  are  fine- 
art  exhibitions  in  buildings  built  for  the  purpose,  and  of  the 
yearly  exhibition  of  choice,  beautiful  flowers  of  these  parks 
it  would  take  long  to  tell.  One  pleasing  feature  is,  that  at 
the  end  of  each  summer  season  a  distribution  of  flowers  is 
made  to  the  deserving  poor,  on  application  to  the  park 
authorities,  and  the  gladsome  sight  of  little  potted  shrubs 
decorating  the  window  sills  of  the  hard  workers  of  this 
immense  city  is  often  witnessed. 

There  are  numerous  other  parks  outside  of  London,  of 
which  we  shall  speak  later  on. 

In  the  western  district  of  London  the  renowned  Royal 
Academv's  annual  exhibition  of  pictures  by  modern  artists, 
on  view"  at  Burlington  House,  is  always  attractive.  The 
National  Gallery,  in  Trafalgar  Square,  is  a  building  devoted 
to  the  works  of  old  masters  in  art.  Overlooking  this  gallery 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  235 

of  ancient  memories  is  the  Nelson  Column,  built  of  granite  ; 
and  the  "little  admiral"  on  his  lofty  pedestal  seems  to  be 
looking  towards  Westminster  Bridge,  and  surveying  the 
"Queen's  Navee,"  and  no  doubt  is  surprised  at  the  innova 
tions  of  modern  warfare  by  iron-clads  from  the  old  double- 
deckers  of  wooden  ships  in  Nelson's  time.  We  may  add 
that  at  the  base  of  Admiral  Lord  Nelson's  monument,  as  if 
on  guard,  are  four  colossal  lions  in  bronze,  modelled  by  Sir 
Edwin  Landseer,  while  the  four  sections  of  plaques  around 
the  plinth  are  emblematical  of  the  different  sea-fights  by 
Nelson  and  his  brave  officers  and  sailors  against  England's 
enemies.  These  works  of  art  are  executed  in  bronze  metal, 
and  the  figures  stand  out  in  bold  relief. 

Concerning  the  immense  fabric  of  the  Houses  of  Parliament 
(Lords  and  Commons)  a  day's  visit  of  its  interior  and  exte 
rior  would  not  suffice  to  survey  its  beauty  of  architecture  and 
magnificent  surroundings ;  millions  of  dollars  were  spent  in 
its  building,  and  many  years  were  taken  in  the  completion  of 
the  colossal  and  superb  erection  of  this  ornamental  and  figur 
ative  pile  of  artistic  sculpture  work. 

Nearly  opposite  to  the  Houses  of  Parliament  is  the  venera 
ble  Westminster  Abbey,  with  the  stain  of  all  weathers  for 
centuries  darkening  the  ancient  structure  in  iis  many  nooks 
and  corners.  The  interior  of  this  historic  building,  with  the 
numerous  sculptured  kings,  queens,  knights,  fair  ladies,  and 
people  of  note,  is  mute  evidence  of  the  passing  away  of 
greatness,  lying  in  dust  beneath  the  flag-stones  of  the  abbey. 
In  its  proper  place  a  com  ise  description  of  this  ancient  edifice 
will  be  offered  the  reader  for  perusal. 

A  wonderful  improvement  to  London  and  Londoners  is 
the  noted  Thames  Embankment,  which  reclaimed  some  hun 
dreds  of  acres  of  black  mud  and  wharves  and  transformed 
them  into  beautiful  garden  promenades  for  the  people  ;  a 
work  of  years,  costing  a  mint  of  money,  but  the  many  mil 
lions  of  pounds  sterling  were  well  laid  out  for  the  welfare 
of  humanity.  There  are  numerous  granite  and  iron  bridges 
which  span  the  Thames  River,  and  connect  north  and  south 
districts  with  the  ever-restless,  teeming  population  of  London, 
wending  their  way  backwards  and  forwards,  in  pursuance  of 
their  daily  business. 


236  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 


The  English  Coast. 

For  some  miles  down  the  busy  Thames  River  are  numerous 
popular  shore  resorts,  commencing  with  Greenwich  Park,  a 
noted  place  for  Britishers  to  take  tea  and  shrimps,  flirt,  - 
dance,  and  play  at  the  game  of  kiss-in-the-ring,  on  Easter 
or  Whitsuntide.  A  large  government  building  called  Green 
wich  Hospital  and  Training  School  for  orphan  boys,  is  situ 
ated  here,  where  hundreds  of  poor  lads  are  boarded,  clothed, 
and  educated,  mostly  for  a  seafaring  life.  A  large  ship, 
full}-  rigged,  is  in  the  school-yard  for  the  pupils'  instruction, 
care  being  taken  to  place  netting  about  the  vessel,  in  case  of 
boys  falling  from  aloft.  Some  eminent  naval  officers  have 
in  early  life  graduated  from  this  institution.  Adjacent  to 
this  humane  retreat  used  to  be  the  old  pensioners'  or  decayed 
seamen's  home,  for  worn-out  sailors  of  her  Majesty's  service. 
In  the  hospital  museum  are  to  be  seen  Admiral  Nelson's  coat 
and  vest,  with  the  shot-hole  received  on  board  the  flag-ship 
"Victory."  at  the  battle  of  Trafalgar,  which  ended  in  the 
valiant  hero's  death.  About  five  miles  down  the  river 
Thames  is  Woolwich  dock -yard  and  arsenal,  known  all  over 
the  world  for  its  large  ordnance  and  armory  manufactories, 
the  English  government  employing  some  thousands  of  men 
making  the  munitions  of  warfare.  Woolwich  Common  is  a 
large  tract  of  land  used  for  military  parades  and  mano3uvres, 
similar  to  the  camp  at  Aldershot.  Away  down  the  river  at 
this  point  it  widens  considerably.  On  approaching  the 
ocean  are  situated  places  dear  to  English  people,  Gravesend, 
of  famed  popularity,  Margate,  Broadstairs,  and  Herne  Bay, 
also  Ramsgate,  are  sea-shore  resorts  much  frequented  in  the 
summer  time  for  the  fine  beach  bathing  and  a  general  good 
time  of  fun  and  frolic,  or  rest  in  the  quieter  districts.  Still 
farther  along  the  coast  line  are  the  towns  of  Deal  and  Dover, 
in  full  view  of  the  shifting,  treacherous  Goodwin  Sands, 
which  in  winter  time  is  a  fearfully  dangerous  locality  to  mari 
ners.  The  Deal  lifeboatmen  are  invariably  spoken  of  as 
great  heroes  in  venturing  out  in  a  gale  to  save  life,  often  at 
the  risk  and  loss  of  their  own. 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  237 


Places  of  Interest. 

The  open  spaces  of  London  (seldom  spoken  of  by  writers), 
such  as  the  green,  cultivated  squares,  are  somewhat  wonder 
ful  in  their  number,  considering  the  increased  value  of  land  ; 
but  as  a  recreation  ground  for  the  fortunate  children  whose 
parents'  houses  surround  the  enclosures,  the  boon  must  be  a 
very  agreeable  change  from  the  noisy  rattle  of  the  paved 
streets. 

Many  are  the  innumerable  theatres,  music  halls  and  other 
places  of  amusement,  such  as  Madame  Taussad's  noted  life 
like  wax-work  exhibition,  etc. 

The  Tower  of  London,  with  its  deeds  of  blood,  on  Tower 
Hill,  is  historic  enough,  but  painful  to  ruminate  on,  though 
visitors  still  flock  through  its  ancient  portals,  and  view  the 
racks  of  arms  and  see  the  royal  diadem  and  jewels,  protected 
in  an  iron  cage.  The  sufferings  and  deaths  of  the  martyrs, 
years  ago,  are  vividly  explained  to  the  tourist  by  a  "  yeoman 
of  the  guard"  on  duty  at  the  Citadel. 

Adjacent  to  the  Tower  of  London  is  the  Royal  Mint, 
where  the  British  coin  is  manufactured.  A  file  of  soldiers 
continually  guard  this  building  as  they  do  the  Bank  of  Eng 
land  at  night.  Kast  and  West  India  docks,  St.  Katharine's 
docks,  and  miles  of  other  docks  and  wharfage  are  in  this 
neighborhood. 

We  leave  this  busy  place  for  the  Whitechapel  district, 
where  the  miscreant  and  vile  assassin,  the  so-called  "Jack 
the  ripper,"  performed  his  exploits  of  wanton,  diabolical 
butchery  on  an  unfortunate  class  of  defenceless  women, 
which  is  almost  without  parallel  in  its  significance,  when  we 
consider  the  army  of  police  officials  in  London  and  its  en 
virons  ;  and  yet  this  fiend  in  human  form,  up  to  date,  has 
not  been  captured. 

Leaving  this  for  a  more  pleasant  subject,  though  in  the 
same  locality,  we  allude  to  the  noble  building  called  u  The 
People's  Palace,"  where  are  accommodations  for  twenty-five 
hundred  poor  bo}rs  and  girls,  who  are  thus  taken  care  of, 
learn  trades,  and  are  taught  in  various  branches,  including 
the  sciences.  Occasional  concerts  at  cheap  rates  of  two 
pence  and  three  pence  admission  are  some  of  the  boons  of 


238  KAMIiLES    IN    AMERICA. 

this  laudable  undertaking.  A  large  gymnasium,  a  spacious 
swimming-bath,  and  a  large  rotunda,  with  seats  for  tired 
wayfarers,  are  other  thoughtful  items  for  the  poor  of  this 
district.  The  kindly  donors  who  organized  the  People's 
Palace  felt  it  was  a  needed  want,  and  a  commemoration  of 
the  Queen's  Jubilee.  The  Bank  of  England,  the  Mansion 
House,  headquarters  of  the  presiding  Lord  Mayor  of  London, 
and  Guildhall  all  lay  nestled  together,  as  it  were,  flanked 
with  a  whole  host  of  venerable  churches  and  St.  Paul's 
Cathedral,  near  by  ;  and  the  innumerable  other  places  of 
interest  almost  forbids  the  writer  to  go  on,  as  the  Rambles 
would  never  be  ended  in  this  Babylon  of  a  city. 

But  a  few  words,  in  passing,  about  the  -ancient  corpora 
tions  or  guilds  of  London.  The  Lord  Mayor  of  the  city  of 
London  is  chosen  annually  from  the  aldermen  of  the  ward  in 
which  he  belongs.  These  old  institutions  date  back  for  cen 
turies,  and  foremost  amongst  the  number  of  guilds  are  the 
Goldsmith  Company,  partly  so  called,  as  this  company  is 
deputed  by  the  English  government  to  assay  or  test  all  man 
ufactured  silver  and  gold  articles  made  in  Great  Britain,  and 
to  examine  by  competent  assayers  and  determine  whether 
the  goods  are  made  of  the  standard  quality  of  metal  provided 
by  law.  The  articles  are  left  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
and  returned  at  eventide,  if  found  correct.  A  duty  per 
ounce  is  paid  to  the  government,  and* so  much  per  ounce, 
termed  u  marking,"  paid  to  the  assayers  for  their  trouble. 
The  silver  and  gold  ware  are  then  stamped  with  the  official 
die  mark,  and  all  purchasers  can  tell  whether  the  goods  are 
genuine  sterling  metal  or  not.  Severe  punishment  is  inflicted 
on  those  who  attempt  to  pass  off  spurious  goods  with  forged 
government  marks  thereon.  We  might  mention  that  in  the 
mixing  of  the  alloy  with  the  pure  silver  or  gold,  should  there 
be  any  error,  intentional  or  otherwise,  the  assay  office  has 
the  power  to  break  up  the  articles,  however  costly,  which  they 
do,  after  a  second  or  third  test. 

By  the  charter  of  these  rich  guilds  or  companies,  certain 
gifts  to  the  poor  freemen  of  the  city  of  London  are  ex 
tended,  such  as  quarterly  moneys,  and  sometimes  food  left 
over  from  banquets  such  as  I  am  about  to  describe.  Coming 
to  an  interesting  episode  in  the  writer's  life  in  connection 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  239 

with  Goldsmiths'  Hall,  we  (my  sister  and  myself)  were 
invited  by  a  kind  friend  with  vouchers  to  a  grand  ceremony 
reception,  and  ball,  given  once  in  three  years  by  the  wor 
shipful  company  of  goldsmiths  in  their  magnificent  banquet 
ing  and  dance  halls.  The  side  tables  almost  groaned  with 
the  weight  of  silver  and  gold  plate  belonging  to  these  mer 
chant  princes,  and  champagne  with  other  wines  were  to  be 
had  any  time  during  the  evening,  ad  libitum  ;  the  menu  also 
was  of  the  choicest  and  most  costly  kind.  The  well-trained 
butlers  in  attendance  a^  this  sumptuous  repast  did  their  duty 
very  obsequiously  and  well.  The  writer  of  these  pages  had 
the  pleasure  and  honor  of  dancing  with  more  than  one  of  the 
aldermen's  fair  daughters  on  this  festive  occasion,  and  the 
toilets  of  the  ladies  were  among  those  dazzling  sights  which 
are  enough  to  bewilder  any  young  man.  The  clear,  rosy 
complexions  and  bewitching  vivacity  of  those  pretty  Knglish 
girls  made  them  look  very  fascinating,  as  they  glided  around 
in  the  graceful  waltz  or  moved  in  the  more  demure  lanciers, 
the  nimble  feet  of  the  dancers  keeping  time  to  the  brilliant 
music,  and  the  surroundings  of  wealth  altogether  was  suffi 
cient  to  cause  a  sigh  that  this  exhilarating  scene  might  last 
longer  than  a  few  hours'  duration.  The  superb  ball-room  of 
the  Goldsmith  Hall,  with  its  enrichment  of  carvings  and 
decorative  architecture,  was  a  sight  to  behold ;  and  in 
numerable  shrubs,  flowers,  and  exotics  were  placed  at  all 
convenient  angles,  on  balconies  and  stairways,  making  the 
ancient  hall  look  as  if  touched  with  a  fairy's  wand.  The 
gentlemen  of  the  party,  in  their  faultless  full  evening  dress, 
looked  gallant  as  they  escorted  their  beautiful  partners 
around  the  numerous  anterooms,  listening  to  the  military 
band,  and  whispering  the  soft  nothings  so  often  told  on 
such  occasions.  Several  years  have  elapsed  since  this  scene 
of  festivity  took  place,  but  my  fair  sister  till  this  day,  when 
thinking  of  past  memories,  occasionally  tells  her  little  sons 
and  daughters  how  their  Uncle  Alfred  took  her  to  a  grand 
gathering  at  the  renowned  Goldsmiths'  Hall. 

On  resuming  from  this  digression,  the  patient  reader  will 
accompany  the  writer  along  by  the  now  open  enclosure  of  the 
glorious  and  grand  old  pile  of  architectural  beauty,  Saint 
Paul's  Cathedral,  so  full  of  historic  interest  as  the  resting- 


240  KAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

place  of  England's  heroes,  soldiers,  and  sailors,  who  fought 
and  bled  for  their  country.  This  magnificent  edifice  was 
the  greatest  work  of  the  eminent  architect,  Sir  Chi  istopher 
Wren. 

Passing  round  the  cathedral  to  Ludgate  Hill  and  Fleet 
Street,  we  come  to  a  labyrinth  of  courts  and  alleyways,  near 
where  Temple  Bar  formerly  stood,  and  where  the  famed 
writers  of  days  gone  by,  Ben  Jonson,  Oliver  Goldsmith, 
Boswell  and  many  others  used  to  meet  at  their  club  gather 
ings  at  the  old-fashioned  coffee-houses  and  taverns,  for  dis 
cussion  and  hilarity.  We  pass  on  to  what  used  to  be  called 
Temple  Gardens,  in  the  midst  of  which  stands  a  fine,  ancient, 
sacred  edifice,  named  u  The  Temple  Church."  The  windings 
of  Old  London  are  here  perceived,  running  down  to  the 
banks  of  the  Thames  embankment,  and  the  venerable  build 
ings  in  the  quadrangles,  courts,  and  alle3'S  are  chiefly  occu 
pied  b}T  law}'ers,  barristers,  and  benchers  of  the  Temple. 
The  writer  of  this  book,  years  ago,  on  Sabbath  days  often 
visited  Temple  Church,  listening  to  good  sermons  and  excel 
lent  singing  of  the  well- trained  choristers.  A  calm,  subdued 
tone  alwa}'s  seemed  to  rest  in  this  sacred  place,  just  aside 
from  the  busy  hum  of  Fleet  Street.  The  pillars  supporting 
the  interior  roof  of  the  stately  Temple  Church  were  found 
out  by  accident  a  few  years  since  to  be  encrusted  with  a  sort 
of  cement,  which  being  carefully  removed,  discovered  pol 
ished  marble,  and  the  pillars  have  been  since  thoroughly 
restored. 

Memorable  of  Temple  Gardens  in  times  past  is  the  episode 
of  Judge  Gascoine  and  Prince  Henry,  afterwards  King  Henry 
VI.  of  England.  A  friend  of  the  prince  (a  young  noble 
man)  was  about  to  be  sent  to  prison  for  some  minor  offence, 
when  Prince  Henry,  exasperated  at  the  judge's  decision 
against  his  boon  companion,  suddenly  rushed  forward  and 
struck  Judge  Gascoine  on  the  face.  In  those  days  of  the 
early  fourteenth  century,  royalty  was  almost  supreme  ;  but 
the  learned  judge  did  not  shrink  from  his  duty,  and  speedily 
had  his  young  princely  assailant  arrested,  and  sent  to  prison 
with  his  high-born  friend.  When  the  old  King  Henry  V. 
was  informed  of  his  son's  disgrace,  he  coincided  in  and 
applauded  Judge  Gascoine's  firmness. 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  241 

The  prince,  awakening  to  a  consciousness  of  his  error,  sub 
mitted  without  resistance  to  the  jailers,  and  suffered  his  pun 
ishment  with  a  humility  which  provoked  from  his  father's  lips 
the  celebrated  exclamation  :  *'  Happy  the  king  who  possesses 
a  magistrate  resolute  enough  to  discharge  his  duty  upon  such 
an  offender,  and  happy  the  father  who  has  a  son  so  willing  to 
submit  himself  to  the  law." 

It  may  be  interesting  to  my  readers  to  relate  that  in  this 
part  of  London,  near  the  Strand  and  Temple  Bar,  it  has  been 
my  privilege  at  various  times  to  meet  the  immortal  Charles 
Dickens,  as  he  wended  his  way  to  his  publishers.  Calm  and 
dignified  he  ever  appeared  and  in  deep  thought,  no  doubt 
ruminating  of  the  many  characters  woven  together  in  his 
writings  from  his  fertile  brain.  Great  are  the  changes  around 
and  about  London  since  Dickens's  death,  but  his  name  will 
always  live  in  the  memories  of  present  and  future  generations 
as  the  champion  of  the  poor  and  lowl}". 

'1  he  Thames  Tunnel,  the  popular  underground  Metropoli 
tan  Railway  and  numerous  other  places'  iiiight  interest  the 
reader  in  the  great  metropolis,  but  we  must  ramble  on  for  a 
while  outside  of  London.  There  is  the  ever-attractive  Crys 
tal  palace,  at  Sydenham,  looking  a  little  the  worse  for  wear 
in  the  summer  of  1884,  but  the  charm  of  the  ornamental 
garden  grounds  still  remains,  and  the  colossal  fountains,  with 
their  many-hued  sprays,  accompanied  with  firework  displays, 
are  themes  of  never-ending  pleasure  to  holiday  folks.  In  the 
same  county  of  Surrey  is  the  unpretending  but  unique  picture 
gallery  at  Dulwich. 

Windsor,  in  Berkshire,  is  a  quaint  old  town,  full  of  past 
events  in  relation  to  grand  old  Windsor  Castle,  with  its 
numerous  turrets,  quadrangles  and  court-yards,  and  memo 
ries  in  connection  with  historical  associations  as  abodes  of 
royalty  for  centuries,  and  is  always  replete  with  much  inter 
est  to  people  from  all  climes.  The  Home  Park,  looking  from 
the  castle  windows,  is  a  fine  stretch  of  beautiful  cultivated 
land,  with  herds  of  deer  grazing  at  their  ease  and  security. 
A  pleasant  drive  through  the  Home  Park  takes  one  to 
Virginia  Water,  a  noted,  placid  lake.  Eton  College  and 
grounds,  a  short  distance  from  Windsor,  is  worthy  of  notice. 
We  visited  the  chapel  on  Sabbath  day,  and  the  nine  hundred 


242  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

college  students,  mostly  wealthy  men's  sons,  with  their  bright, 
healthy  English  faces,  was  a  comfortable  sight  to  see' of  the 
well-to-do  class  of  fortunate  humanity.  Quaint  old  Hampton 
Court  palace  and  wardens  (the  home  of  decayed  nobility), 
situated  within  view  of  the  famed  Thames  River,  has  many 
pleasant  associations.  The  vinery  in  the  conservatories  is 
said  to  produce  some  of  the  finest  grapes  in  the  world. 

Heiiley-on-Thames. 

During  the  regatta  season,  Henle}'  is  much  patronized  by 
American  and  English  visitors.  Beautiful  women,  elegantly 
dressed,  accompanied  by  fashionable -looking  gentlemen, 
attend  this  popular  gathering  of  riverside  fashion.  Some 
years  ago,  visiting  friends  at  Henlev  (near  the  old  bridge) 
for  the  boating  season,  gave  the  writer  good  opportunity  to 
observe  the  myriads  of  faces  attending  the  aquatic  carnival 
of  balmy  June.  The  placid  flowing  river  Thames  is  seen 
here  at  its  best ;  miniature  islands  dot  its  surface  for  miles, 
and  the  various  windings  of  the  stream  give  a  peculiar 
charm  to  this  famed  boating  rendezvous.  Oftentimes  at 
early  morn  have  we,  in  a  light  boat,  rowed  along  by  the  side 
of  its  charming,  umbrageous  banks,  the  numerous  willows 
and  other  drooping  trees  dipping  into  the  calm  waters.  The 
eight-oared  and  single-scull  races  are  exciting  events  of  the 
season  in  this  bon-ton  place,  in  the  same  way  as  the  Oxford 
and  Cambridge  universities'  annual  eight-oared  boat-race 
from  Putney  Bridge  to  Mortlake  are  the  grand  aquatic  con 
tests  for  the  masses  of  people  of  every  degree  that  line  the 
shores  at  this  popular  time. 

Numbers  are  the  quaint,  beautiful  nooks  and  corners  of 
old  Father  Thames  in  its  solitude  beyond  Richmond,  such  as 
the  neighboring  hamlets  of  Hampton,  Sunbury,  Teddington, 
Cookam,  Marlow,  Oxford,  and  other  innumerable  well-known 
fishing  haunts,  so  dearly  prized  by  the  angler  in  his  piscatory 
rambles,  either  at  shore  or  gliding  on  the  silent  stream  by 
fishing-boat,  up  the  river. 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  243 


Richmond  Park. 

A  few  miles  nearer  to  London  is  Richmond  Park,  and  a 
drive  through  Bushey  Park  to  Richmond  is  almost  beyond 
description,  when  the  chestnut- trees  are  in  bloom  ;  the  beau 
tiful  foliage  of  large  growth  extends  through  about  four  miles 
of  umbrageous  avenue,  and  while  the  bloom  lasts,  thousands 
of  visitors  from  all  parts  view  this  unique  specimen  of  Na 
ture's  handiwork. 

Richmond,  in  Surrey,  is  always  a  popular  resort,  being  a 
pleasant  ride  of  about  twelve  miles  from  London,  by  road  or 
rail ;  the  journey  to  the  quiet  old  country  town  is  always 
popular.  It  is  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  flowing  Thames 
River,  and  just  outside  of  the  town's  limits  is  Richmond 
Park,  with  its  glades  of  woodland  scenery,  and  hill  and  dale 
verdure  for  the  countless  herds  of  fallow  deer  and  hind 
pasturing  quietly  there.  This  spot,  overlooking  the  placid 
river  below,  is  famed  in  picture  and  song ;  some  artists  were 
sketching  the  fine  views  during  our  short  visit  there. 

The  k' Star  and  Garter  "hotel  is  well  known  to  English 
people,  and  we  guess  to  many  Americans  also.  Being  adja- 
tent  to  the  entrance  gates  of  Richmond  Park,  the  prospect 
from  the  upper  windows  of  this  famed  hostelry  is  truly 
charming,  when  one  has  rested,  and  partaken  of  a  good  din 
ner  here.  We  think  it  a  very  appropriate  spot,  as  the  poet 
did  when  he  composed  that  old  and  once  very  popular  song, 
u  The  Lass  of  Richmond  Hill." 

Kew  Gardens. 

Taking  a  seat  in  one  of  the  fast  little  river  steamboats,  we 
soon  arrived  at  the  well-known  and  justly  celebrated  Kew 
Gardens.  The  extent  and  culture  of  this  magnificent  domain 
of  Crown  lands  is  truly  astonishing  and  interesting.  Miles 
of  conservatories  and  greenhouses  are  in  these  gardens  ;  and 
on  a  national  holiday,  like  Whit-Monday,  some  ICO, 000  peo 
ple  pass  through  the  grounds,  and  seldom  injure  an}7  of  the 
well-preserved  shrubs  or  plants  devoted  by  the  government 
for  the  recreation  of  the  masses,  be  they  rich  or  poor. 

These  are  some  of  the  leading  attractions  to  strangers  and 


244  RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

tourists  of  other  lands.  Nearly  all  these  places  named  above 
are  easy  of  access,  and  mostly  free  in  the  charge  of  admission. 
The  new  Inns  of  Law  Courts  in  London  might  be  mentioned, 
in  passing,  as  the  last  completed  building  of  large  size  ;  eight 
years  were  consumed  in  erecting,  and  some  persons  say  the 
structure  is  a  failure,  internally  and  externally.  Bad  venti 
lation,  draughty,  long  passages,  and  something  wrong  with 
the  sound  in  the  Judges'  Court  and  Chambers,  make  the 
new  Law  Courts,  which  cost  almost  a  mint  of  money,  a  very 
unpopular  building  enterprise. 

It  would  be  out  of  my  province,  as  a  chronicler  of  "  Ram 
bles  in  America,"  to  dilate  on  topics  of  another  country,  yet 
it  is  well  known  that  Americans  are  interested  in  other  coun 
tries  ;  so  I  will  in  a  cursory  manner  just  give  a  passing  glance 
on  two  or  three  items  in  closing  this  book.  The  writer  would 
strongly  advise  all  his  friendly  readers  to  take  a  trip  across 
the  Atlantic,  and  view  for  themselves  the  amount  of  historic 
lore  to  be  found  in  London,  Scotland.  Ireland,  and  Wales, 
and  the  numerous  large  provincial  cities  and  towns,  such  as 
Manchester,  Liverpool,  Leeds,  York,  Sheffield,  and  Bir 
mingham.  Of  the  two  latter  cities,  they  have  been  wonderfully 
improved  and  extended  in  the  ten  or  twelve  years  since  our 
last  visit. 

Sheffield,  in  Yorkshire. 

Having  an  evening  to  spare,  the  writer  inquired  of  a  store 
keeper  the  best  theatre  in  Sheffield.  The  merchant  informed 
him  that  for  a  good  night's  entertainment  he  would  suggest 
the  "  Star  Music  Hall,"  owned  by  a  man  called  •'  Squint 
Milner,"  who  formerly  trained  Jem  Mace,  a  fighting  man  of 
notoriety.  The  variety  show  was  a  curious  place  of  amuse 
ment  of  the  rough-and-ready  kind  for  the  unw.-ished  element 
of  the  city,  grimy  from  their  work,  and  mostly  collarless, 
with  the  pallid  hue  of  the  workshop  on  them ;  the}'  sat  list 
lessly  sipping  their  beer,  sometimes  making  remarks  on  the 
male  or  female  singers,  or  in  conversation  amongst  them 
selves  ;  very  quiet  and  orderly.  The  baud  of  three  pieces 
was  very  weak,  in  contrast  to  the  shrill  voice  of  the  Amazon 
singer  on  the  little  stage.  But  the  most  puzzling  feature  of 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  245 

the  place  was  the  concert  hall  picture  gallery.  The  works 
of  art  were  of  all  sizes,  mostly  framed,  and  the  pictures  varied 
in  talent  and  tint,  being  good,  bad,  and  indifferent;  the  to 
bacco  smoke  of  the  nightly  revellers  had  somewhat  dimmed 
the  painting  subjects,  and  taken  the  varnish  from  the  can 
vases,  causing  the  begrimmed  and  fumed  wall  to  serve  as  a 
dark  background  for  the  old  and  modern  masters.  The  taste 
of  the  owner  of  these  oil  paintings,  however,  was  not  a  vul 
gar  one,  as  most  of  these  pictures  testified,  being  free  from 
offensiveness  to  the  sensitive  e}'e. 

We  visited  the  Messrs.  Rogers' Cutlery  Works  in  this  city, 
and  as  quantities  of  their  goods  are  used  in  America,  a  word 
or  two  may  prove  interesting.  The  courteous  manager  (Mr. 
Donaldson)  deputed  a  man  to  show  the  writer  through  the 
building.  We  saw  the  process  of  steel  knife-blade  making 
in  all  its  branches ;  ivory  handles  of  pen,  pocket,  and  table 
knives  were  commenced  and  finished.  There  are  three 
branches  of  workshops  of  this  firm  in  the  city,  employing  some 
fifteen  hundred  men  and  boys.  The  workshops  are  very  old- 
fashioned  and  small,  and  divided  up  for  forging,  buffing,  and 
grinding.  The  English  factories  do  not  bear  comparison 
with  the  New  England  workshops  and  mills  ;  with  good  light, 
spacious,  and  well  ventilated,  the  workrooms  of  America 
give  men  a  fair  chance  to  live  their  time  out.  In  the  well- 
appointed  show-room  of  the  Messrs.  Rogers,  a  large-bladed 
handle  knife  is  shown  the  visitor ;  it  has  1,885  blades,  one 
for  each  year  of  the  Christian  era.  A  new  blade  is  added 
every  year  ;  soon  a  larger  handle  will  have  to  be  made.  The 
Prince  of  Wales,  a  few  years  ago,  was  much  interested  and 
pleased  with  this  huge-bladed  weapon. 

Birmingham. 

From  Sheffield  to  Birmingham  is  a  very  pleasant  railway 
ride  of  some  seventy-five  miles,  passing  through  the  busy 
manufacturing  towns  of  Derby,  Nottingham,  and  Tamworth, 
with  a  goodly  show  of  English  scenery  of  a  very  damp  kind, 
for  it  was  rain,  rain,  rain,  day  after  day  ;  light  showers  in 
Scotland,  heavy  downpours  in  the  Yorkshire  district,  but 
without  the  proverbial  fog,  which  tourists  to  Great  Britain 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 

are  so  fond  of  dilating  on,  though  vapory  fog  is  found  in 
New  England  now,  almost  as  often  as  in  old  England. 

Arriving  at  the  depot  of  this  city,  one  is  struck  with  its 
magnitude  and  loftiness.  This  busy  station's  trade  for  rail 
way  passenger  and  goods  traffic  is  enormous.  A  fine  line  of 
express  trains  run  daily  to  London  and  other  business 
centres.  The  magnificent  depot  of  Birmingham,  just  fin 
ished,  in  its  extension  and  alterations  of  immense  amplitude, 
stands  side  by  side  with  St.  Pancrass  (of  London),  Great 
Northern,  Northwestern  (Euston  Square),  Southwestern,  or, 
in  fact,  any  big  depot  in  the  world. 

Sunday  evening  in  Birmingham  is  quiet  and  orderly  as  a 
Sabbath  "should  be.  In  company  with  some  friends,  we 
went  to  church,  evening  service,  heard  a  good  discourse,  and 
a  pleasant  recital  of  the  oratorio  of  "Judas  Maccabeus,"  by 
the  minister,  then  very  beautifully  sung  by  a  well-trained 
quartet  and  chorus  of  good  voices. 

Next  day  we  inspected  the  leading  thoroughfares  of  the 
city,  and  fine  stores  In  the  evening  visited  Birmingham 
Opera  House,  to  see  the  renowned  French  tragic  actress, 
Sara  Bernhardt,  perform  in  one  of  the  best  selections  from 
her  repertoire.  So  much  having  been  written  favorably  of 
this  talented  actress  as  a  great  artiste  of  the  lyric  stage,  we 
must  indorse  the  world's  opinion  of  this  gifted  lady,  for  her 
power  of  tragedy  acting  is  almost  wonderful ;  some  of  her 
deep  tragic  scenes  were  almost  too  painful  to  witness,  by  their 
close  intensity  in  the  resemblance  to  real  acting  of  life-drawn 
conception  of  character.  The  exertion  of  such  violent  out 
bursts  of  passion  in  her  declamation,  one  would  imagine, 
would  be  too  much  for  such  an  apparently  weakly  formed 
woman.  She  must  have  inward  strength  somewhere,  for  there 
was  no  lack  of  vitality  in  her  tragic  force  of  delineation  on 
the  stage.  Madame  Bernhardt  was  well  supported  in  her 
company. 

Day's  Music  Hall,  in  Birmingham,  is  one  of  the  hand 
somest  in  Great  Britain,  and  almost  surpasses  the  late  Al- 
hambra  Concert  Hall,  Leicester  Square,  London,  which  was 
destroyed  by  fire  some  years  ago,  but  since  rebuilt.  Day's 
Hall  was  crowded  to  the  doors  on  the  night  we  entered  the 
building,  and  the  entertainment  was  first  class  in  most  every 


EAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  247 

particular.  The  usual  motley  assemblage  of  both  sexes  was 
there,  from  the  apprentice  boy  to  the  drivelling  old  man,  and 
a  sorry  sight  was  the  young  girls  of  tender  age  present  at 
this  Babylon  of  mirth  and  revelry,  interspersed  with  sugges 
tive  jokes  and  coarse  singing.  The  design  and  architecture 
of  this  place  are  magnificent ;  there  is  not  a  vestige  of  pillar 
of  any  kind  to  obstruct  the  view  of  the  spacious  stage  and 
well-painted  scenery. 

Before  saying  farewell  to  Birmingham  and  its  kindly  peo 
ple,  just  a  word  or  two  respecting  a  very  popular  resort  on 
the  outskirts  of  the  city,  called  u  Ashton  Hall,"  a  fine  build 
ing,  with  museum  combined,  giving  recreation  with  instruc 
tion  in  its  various  rooms.  The  grounds  of  cultivated  gardens 
attached  to  the  Hall  were  in  splendid  condition,  the  chief 
and  favorite  shrub  being  the  geranium  in  all  varieties,  formed 
into  beds  and  plots  of  different  designs,  in  borders  of  other 
flowers  and  plants.  Children,  attended  by  their  parents  and 
nurses,  flock  here  in  great  numbers,  and  enjoy  the  fragrance 
of  the  beautiful  flowers  of  this  domain,  liberally  extended 
to  them  by  the  munificence  of  Birmingham's  kind-hearted 
donors. 

Westminster  Abbey. 

A  few  days  prior  to  our  departure  for  New  York,  we 
entered  the  sacred  pile  of  buildings,  Westminster  Abbey, 
and  the  minor  canon  who  preached  the  sermon  was  the  chief 
officiating  clergyman  of  the  five  assisting  ministers  of  that 
Sunday  morning  service.  -The  discourse  was  suitable  to  the 
occasion,  with  a  good  deal  of  practical  good-sense  and  some 
pathos,  delivered  in  a  very  pleasant  manner.  The  speaker, 
on  looking  around  the  venerable  cathedral,  noticed  quite  a 
number  of  strangers  present,  mostly  Americans,  and  called 
attention  to  the  fact  by  remarking  how  many  were  there  for 
the  first  and  last  time,  perhaps ;  and  by  the  next  Sabbath 
day  would  in  all  probability  be  scattered  far  and  wide,  to 
the  four  quarters  of  the  globe  ;  and  in  sequence,  as  it  were, 
bidding  the  majority  a  final  farewell  in  a  theme  of  religious 
exhortation  of  the  good-will  of  the  Almighty  in  protecting 
us,  thus  far,  in  the  perils  of  land  and  water ;  impressed  us 


248  RA11BLES    IN    AMERICA. 

with  the  attributes  of  the  divine  power  and  counsel,  and  led 
his  hearers,  in  grave  earnestness,  to  endeavor  by  a  godly 
Christian  life  to  merit  the  merciful  intercession.  The  sing 
ing  and  chanting  by  the  fifty  men  and  boy  choristers  (in 
white  surplices)  were  very  solemn  and  imposing. 

The  cloisters  of  the  grand  old  abbey  appeared  much 
decayed  and  in  a  crumbling  state,  similar  to  some  other  old 
cathedral  cloisters  in  England ;  but  we  found  St.  Giles 
Cathedral,  of  Edinburgh,  in  a  good  state  of  repair,  being  of 
more  modern  erection  j  and  Canterbury  Cathedral  edifice 
in  a  fair  state  of  preservation.  The  verger  of  this  abbey 
points  out  to  the  inquisitive  traveller  the  exact  spot  where 
Thomas  a  Becket  was  struck  down  and  ruthlessly  murdered. 

Venerable  Westminster  Abbey,  though  in  parts  crumbling 
from  old  age  and  the  action  of  the  weather,  and  blackened 
by  exposure  to  rain  and  wind-storms,  yet  retains  its  many 
vivid  associations  of  days  gone  by  ;  and  the  numerous  aisles 
are  more  frequented  by  visitors  of  all  nationalities  than  even 
the  grand,  imposing  Saint  Paul's  Cathedral  and  crypt,  which 
contains  the  remains  of  a  long  list  of  warriors  and  other 
eminent  personages  who  have  served  their  country's  welfare. 
In  looking  on  Charles  Dickens's  grave,  at  Westminster  Abbey, 
though  iii  close  proximity  with  the  illustrious  dead,  the  plain 
brass  tablet  of  his  name*  on  the  flat  tombstone  indicated,  as 
it  were,  the  unassuming  character  of  the  great  novelist, 
moralist,  and  truthful  sketch  writer  of  those  of  the  humbler 
classes  who  laid  dearest  to  his  heart. 

Spurgeon's  Tabernacle  seemed  to  be  a  great  resort  for 
Americans ;  in  fact,  quite  cosmopolitan  in  its  way  of  wel 
coming  all  comers,  of  every  clime.  The  Sabbath  day  on 
which  we  went  to  hear  the  celebrated  divine,  we  were  fortu 
nate  in  finding  him  at  his  post  of  duty,  as  his  health  is  now 
verv  precarious.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Spurgeon  spoke  with  all  his 
old-time  eloquence  and  earnestness,  and  with  powerful 
though  dulcet  tones  exhorted  his  hearers  by  forcible  Chris 
tian  truths.  The  reverend  gentleman  has  been  much  enfee 
bled  of  late,  years  with  illness,  but  his  remarkable  reasoning 
voice  is  strong  yet,  with  great  pathos  at  times,  as  if  the  soul 
of  the  divine  preacher  seemed  to  vibrate  with  intensity  of 
purpose,  in  his  great  wish  to  aid  his  fellow-men.  The  Tab- 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA.  249 

ernacle  is  said  to  hold  eight  thousand  persons,  and  was  filled 
in  every  part. 

New  River  Company,  London,  England. 

In  closing  this  section  of  my  book,  on  the  vast  metropolis, 
London,  a  paragraph  from  the  New  York  Morning  Journal 
of  July  19,  Ib89,  wherein  is  a  cablegram  announcing  shares 
at  a  fabulous  figure,  may  be  read  with  interest :  — 

"LONDON,  England,  July  18,  1889.  —  A  single  share  of 
the  New  River  Company,  which  many  years  ago  was  origi 
nally  sold  at  the  par  value  of  £100,  was  disposed  of  at  auc 
tion  yesterday  for  the  immense  sum  of  £122,81/0.  This 
company  supplies  half  of  London  with  water,  and  owns 
many  valuable  estates,  running  down  to  the  river's  bank, 
which  have  increased  in  a  course  of  years  to  almost  fabulous 
worth.  The  financial  growth  of  the  famed  New  River  Com 
pany  is  something  tremendous.  Last  year  it  declared  a 
divid  nd  of  £2,610  on  each  share." 

The  source  of  the  New  River  we  think  commences  from  a 
spring  in  one  of  the  Knglish  counties  of  Herefordshire,  flow 
ing  through  beautiful  laud  till  it  reaches  the  suburbs  of  Lon 
don,  and  then  is  conveyed  through  large  pipes  to  the  mam 
moth  city.  The  scheme  of  supplying  London  with  good, 
fresh,  filtered  water  came  from  a  Mr.  Hui>h  Mvdelton,  a 
gentleman  of  means,  who,  with  some  wealthy  friends,  invested 
their  all  in  this  expensive  project,  and  became  poor  by  its 
comparative  failure  ;  in  time  others  took  up  the  scheme,  and, 
after  passing  through  various  vicissitudes,  it  ultimately,  in 
after  years,  resulted  in  great  success.  The  originator  was 
knighted  by  the  monarch  then  ruling,  Charles  I.,  and  money 
was  subscribed  sufficient  for  the  wants  of  Sir  Hugh  Mydel- 
ton,  for  his  grand  efforts.  The  writer  of  these  rambles, 
when  a  boy.  often  used  to  fish  in  the  beautiful  New  River, 
on  the  outskirts  of  London,  to  keep  the  water,  we  boys  used 
to  say,  "'  from  getting  fishy."  But  the  river  keepers  invari 
ably  w.'irned  us  off  with  threats  of  arrest,  though  the  same 
officials  used  to  net  the  waters  at  night-time.  In  some  parts 
the  New  Kiver  is  very  nnrrow,  and  appears  as  quite  a  small 
stream 


250 


RAMBLES    IN    AMERICA. 


Across  the  Atlantic ;  Queenstown  to  New  York. 

In  returning  to  America  from  Great  Britain,  after  a  pleas 
ant  sojourn  of  three  months'  duration,  and  at  the  termination 
of  a  somewhat  rough  September  voyage,  we  arrived  safely 
in  New  York  harbor  by  the  steamship  "Austral  "  (spoken  of 
above)  en  route  to  my  (then)  New  Bedford  home. 

Kindly  allow  me,  before  I  close  these  Rambles,  to  say  :  in 
describing  our  wanderings  by  sea  and  hind,  my  chief  difficulty 
has  been  like  man}7  other  writers,  who  cannot  represent  all 


they  see  ;  the  task  is,  what  to  leave  out,  which  is  oftentimes 
very  puzzling,  as  there  is  so  much  that  is  edifying  and  beau 
tiful  of  the  world's  grand  arena,  which  to  omit  mentioning  is 
no  easy  matter.  One  can  only  hope,  in  the  many  journey- 
ings  spoken  of,  that  the  spirit  and  the  wide  range  of  travel 
have  been  entered  into  with  careful  accuracy,  as  it  would  be 
almost  impossible  to  describe  in  true  form  the  varied  beauties 
of  Nature's  great  and  sublime  handiwork  as  they  really  are, 
and  how  inadequate  would  any  pen-picture  be,  however 
graphically  written.  In  thanking  the^  patient  reader  for  his 
company  in  my  u  Rambles  of  Past  and  Present  Time,"  we 
trust  that  the  descriptive  sketches  of  place  and  character 


RAMBLES    IN   AMERICA.  251 

herein  depicted  may  have  been  such  as  to  amuse,  instruct, 
and  beguile  the  tedium  of  a  passing  hour ;  and,  like  the 
artist's  illustration  of  the  ocean  steamer  just  hove  to  at  her 
moorings,  the  writer  of  these  pages  can  rest  for  a  time,  after 
his  manifold  labors,  which,  though  attended  with  many  cares, 
have  ever  been  a  great  source  of  pleasure  to  him. 


THE  P^ 


14  DAY  USE 

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